Culling-induced social perturbation in Eurasian badgers Meles meles and the management of TB in cattle: an analysis of a critical problem in applied ecology

The Eurasian badger (Meles meles) is implicated in the transmission of bovine tuberculosis (TB) to cattle in the UK and Republic of Ireland. Badger culling has been employed for the control of TB in cattle in both countries, with varying results. Social perturbation of badger populations following c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences Biological sciences, 2007-11, Vol.274 (1626), p.2769-2777
Main Authors: Carter, Stephen P, Delahay, Richard J, Smith, Graham C, Macdonald, David W, Riordan, Philip, Etherington, Thomas R, Pimley, Elizabeth R, Walker, Neil J, Cheeseman, Chris L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Badgers
Behaviour
Cattle
Culling
Disease Control
Disease Reservoirs
Disease transmission
Epidemiology
Female
Infections
Male
Meles meles
Motor Activity
Movement
Mustelidae - microbiology
Mustelidae - physiology
Mycobacterium bovis
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Population Dynamics
Social Behavior
Social groups
Social Organization
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis control
Tuberculosis, Bovine - prevention & control
Ungulates
Wildlife Disease Reservoir
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Summary:The Eurasian badger (Meles meles) is implicated in the transmission of bovine tuberculosis (TB) to cattle in the UK and Republic of Ireland. Badger culling has been employed for the control of TB in cattle in both countries, with varying results. Social perturbation of badger populations following culling has been proposed as an explanation for the failure of culling to consistently demonstrate significant reductions in cattle TB. Field studies indicate that culling badgers may result in increased immigration into culled areas, disruption of territoriality, increased ranging and mixing between social groups. Our analysis shows that some measures of sociality may remain significantly disrupted for up to 8 years after culling. This may have epidemiological consequences because previous research has shown that even in a relatively undisturbed badger population, movements between groups are associated with increases in the incidence of Mycobacterium bovis infection. This is consistent with the results from a large-scale field trial, which demonstrated decreased benefits of culling at the edges of culled areas, and an increase in herd breakdown rates in neighbouring cattle.
ISSN:0962-8452
1471-2954
DOI:10.1098/rspb.2007.0998