The culling of badgers as part of bovine tuberculosis control policy in England generates significant debate about its effectiveness and welfare implications for a protected species.
Badger culling raises welfare concerns on multiple levels. Controlled shooting of wild animals in the dark causes wounding rates that mean some individuals survive with serious injuries, suffering before death or recovery. The wider population effect of sustained culling on surviving badgers — social disruption, loss of social companions, and habitat disturbance — represents additional welfare costs. The scientific evidence for culling effectiveness is contested, meaning these welfare costs may not be offset by proportionate disease control benefits. Vaccination represents a welfare-friendly alternative that maintains social group structure.