Mustelids — the family including weasels, otters, badgers, and pine martens — face multiple welfare and conservation challenges in the UK and across Europe.
Mustelid welfare in the UK is shaped by a combination of habitat loss, persecution, road mortality, and bycatch in pest control operations. Badger culling under bovine TB programs is the largest organized mustelid welfare issue — with caged badgers showing extreme stress during capture and free-shot animals at risk of wounding. Pine marten and otter recovery programs demonstrate that welfare-positive conservation outcomes are achievable through habitat protection and reduced persecution. Snaring causes welfare harm to target and non-target mustelids through restraint stress, injury, and death from exposure when animals cannot free themselves. Reform of snaring practices and expanded non-target species protection would significantly improve mustelid welfare.