The Eurasian badger is a protected species at the centre of one of the most contested wildlife policy debates in Britain, concerning the role of badgers in bovine tuberculosis transmission and the welfare ethics of culling as a disease control measure.
Badger welfare is dramatically compromised by culling programs that shoot animals at night, with inevitable wounding rates creating welfare problems for injured animals that escape. The scientific debate about culling effectiveness means welfare costs are being imposed for uncertain benefit. Badger vaccine programs offer a welfare-superior alternative that is both more humane and potentially more effective. The social complexity of badger groups means culling disrupts family structures in ways that may actually increase disease transmission through perturbation.