The "toad tunnel" in Davis, Calif., is apparently a better story than it is a means of preserving the local reptile population.

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The Sacramento Bee reported Thursday that toads had pretty much disappeared from the area around the Davis Toad Tunnel, which was dug with great fanfare in 1995 to allow the critters to get safely across a new highway ramp.

Wildlife specialist John McNerny told the Bee he hadn't found any toad tadpoles in a nearby pond for a couple of years, leading him to conclude the tunnel had not been much help and that the toads had faded into oblivion.

"No record occurs of the tunnel ever being used by a toad," said McNerney. "It was well-intentioned but not successful."

One reason, he speculated, is that the 200-foot long tunnel was made of corrugated steel that was too hot for the toads to use in the summer.