On 22 July and 1 August, the Nature Care Fund team installed road barriers alongside the Western leopard toad tunnels on Peninsula Road in Zeekoevlei. These toad tunnels were established last year February to assist with the safe road crossing of the Western leopard toad during the breeding season.

In an urban environment, toads are forced to negotiate roads and barriers, such as walls, dams, and canals, while foraging and migrating to and from breeding sites. Expanding urban development and increased road traffic result in the death of hundreds of toads each year, especially during the breeding season. Artificial water bodies with vertical sides, such as swimming pools, canalized rivers, and stormwater drains, represent additional deathtraps that threaten local populations.

The Western leopard toad is an endangered species mainly due to habitat loss. They are tiny and mostly travel at night during the breeding season, making it hard for motorists to see them. There is, therefore, a high road kill rate too. The barriers were installed to stop them from crossing the dangerous road and encourage them to use the tunnels. The installation of the tunnels in conjunction with the barriers will save the remaining toads from the same fate.