A badger cub on a BBOWT reserve that spent much of its life entangled in plastic waste is believed to have died. You are here: Home News Thousands more badgers at risk under new Government plans to extend cull licences. Thousands more badgers at risk under new Government plans to extend cull licences. Share facebook twitter email whatsapp. Thousands more badgers at risk under new Government plans to extend cull licences Monday 15 March Badger by Andrew Parkinson Vision.
Public urged to take part in Defra consultation as Wildlife Trusts make last ditch effort to stop the cull. Badger culling would continue until at least or even , decimating many badger populations. Based on its analysis of the consultation, The Wildlife Trusts are calling on the Government to: Stop issuing badger cull licences immediately.
This will bring an end to the badger cull sooner than proposed, saving tens of thousands of badgers. Implement a cattle vaccine.
Cattle vaccination offers the best long-term way to reduce bovine TB in the cattle population. Review how cattle are transported around the country and ensure measures are in place to prevent infection spread from cattle to cattle. We understand the impact that bTB can have on farmers and we want to find long-term solutions that work for wildlife and people. Culling disrupts badger social structure, causing them to move around more frequently and over longer distances - this effect is known as perturbation, and the idea that it may result in increased disease transmission to other badgers and to cattle has been termed the 'perturbation effect.
Badgers typically live in social groups of four to seven animals with defined territorial boundaries. In a stable badger population, there is limited movement from one area to another. As a result, a badger setts harbouring high levels of bTB infection would tend to remain relatively isolated.
Removing badgers from cull areas opens up the territory, allowing badgers to come in from the surrounding areas. Badger movements around and beyond the infected area therefore increase, and immigrant badgers are at risk of infection from abandoned setts and unculled infected animals. Badger to badger transmission increases along with the likelihood of badger to cattle transmission. Because the population is still lower than the carrying capacity of the total area, badgers move around much more than they did before the cull, and this movement distributes the original infection over a wider area.
This is known as the 'perturbation effect'. Bovine tuberculosis bTB TB cattle vaccination trials are set to get underway in England and Wales as a result of a breakthrough by government scientists. These trials enable work to accelerate towards planned deployment of a cattle vaccine by , which will be a key milestone to eradicate this highly damaging animal disease.
A cattle vaccine will be a very powerful tool in the battle against the disease following the necessary testing and subsequent approvals to ensure its safety and efficacy. Field trials will be conducted over the next four years on behalf of Defra, the Welsh Government and the Scottish Government, following 20 years of research into bovine TB vaccines and diagnostic tests. Article in the Sunday Times 6 July 2 Godfray et al. Proc R Soc B Journal of Animal Ecology Biology Letters 4: Badger cull FAQs.
Share facebook twitter email whatsapp. Badgers FAQs about the badger cull. Frequently Asked Questions We are very conscious of the hardship that bovine TB bTB causes in the farming community and the need to find the right mechanisms to control the disease.
The sections below answer questions that you may have on this issue. Is the Government basing the badger cull on scientific evidence? And who supports it? No scientific conclusions can be drawn from the badger cull pilots. If badgers are the cause of bTB outbreaks in cattle isn't a cull the only option? Has the badger cull been successful so far? Prolonged culling could actually increase the risk of bTB in cattle.
Some people say there are too many badgers - do they need controlling? Hedgehogs and badgers Hedgehogs and badgers have coexisted for thousands of years. Surely the badger cull is being carried out humanely?
Badger culling has been proven to be inhumane. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Already subscribed? Log in.
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