The debate over badger culling as a bovine tuberculosis control measure in the UK involves complex tradeoffs between badger welfare and cattle disease control.
Badgers shot during culling operations face a range of welfare outcomes depending on shooting accuracy. Wounded badgers may suffer for extended periods. The perturbation effect where culling disrupts social groups and increases disease spread among surviving badgers represents both a welfare and epidemiological failure. Vaccination-based approaches prevent suffering in badgers while providing comparable or better disease control outcomes.