Anthony P. / Reuters
Tiny, cute and oh so vulnerable. As thousands of baby Western Toads attempt to navigate life in Chilliwack, British Columbia, they only hope they don’t get squished by passing motorists.
All week, these miniature toads have traversed Ryder Lake Road, making an attempt to migrate from the wetlands around the lake where they were born into the surrounding forest, reports the Vancouver Sun.
But doing this requires a trip across one of two local roads for the 800,000 or so babies smaller than a dime, so the Fraser Valley Conservancy has stepped in to help control traffic.
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The conservancy hopes to eventually build costly toad-crossing tunnels to place underneath the roadway, an attempt to increase the survival rate of the babies, which can be as little as 1%. Still, with a female having as many as 16,000 eggs, the Western Toad still has a place in B.C., as evidenced by the toad road crossings.
A conservancy representative tells the Vancouver Sun that during peak migration to expect toads covering 30% of the roads around the lake. And with each crossing taking roughly five minutes, it doesn’t help that when the tiny creatures get scared they either freeze or roll over.
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Tim Newcomb is a contributor for TIME. Find him on Twitter at @tdnewcomb. You can also continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.