Pollution sends China’s frogs out of the water

From London Daily Mail:

On the toad to ruin: Thousands of tiny amphibians dice with death to flee polluted river

Residents in China’s Jiangsu Province were hopping mad when thousands of little toads took to the streets. 

The slimy creatures were forced out of their natural habitat in Taizhou city’s main river due to a lack of oxygen in the water.

And so the toads set off in vast numbers on an epic journey to find a new home, crossing the city in their thousands.

Land of hop and glory: Thousands of tiny toads mass at the side of the road in Taizhou city

One resident said: “It was amazing for about two days you didn’t know where to put your feet. The roads and pavements were covered with them

“The weirdest thing was – they disappeared almost as quickly as they appeared.”

The toad invasion caused a major headache for the city authorities, who were left with a major clean-up operation.

A spokesman said: “Squashed toad is quite difficult to remove from tarmac.”