What is “paddentrek” in the Netherlands?
Kinderen helpen padden veilig de weg over
A2 Dutch listening practice · Dutch · Picked for people who know a little
Each spring in the Netherlands, paddentrek (toad migration) sends thousands of brown common toads (gewone pad) crossing roads on warm wet nights to reach breeding ponds. Dutch volunteers, including school groups and biology clubs, walk the routes with buckets and torches, ferrying the toads safely across before traffic kills them. RAVON (the Dutch reptile-and-amphibian society) coordinates the network. The annual operation reflects a particular Dutch instinct: structural, organized, low-drama citizen science.
In this NOS Jeugdjournaal segment, kids start before school: “Nog voordat school begint zijn deze kinderen al druk bezig. Ze lopen langs de weg om te kijken of ze padden hebben gevangen.”
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Harder words in this video
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Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-NL 2014 (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.
- ▸In Dutch wildlife and environment coverage (NRC, De Volkskrant, Trouw)
- ▸On RAVON and Dutch amphibian protection (RAVON, Padden.nu, Natuurmonumenten)
- ▸In Dutch nature broadcasting (*Het Klokhuis, Vroege Vogels, De Buitendienst*)
- ▸In Dutch biology-education resources (Naturalis, SoortenBank, Schooltv)