Wild Animals

Wild Badger Welfare and Disease Management

Badgers face welfare challenges from bovine tuberculosis culling programmes, road traffic accidents, illegal persecution, and habitat loss across their range.

Key Facts

The European badger is a highly social mammal living in groups called setts
Badger culling has been used in the UK as part of bTB control, with significant welfare concerns
Road traffic accidents are a major cause of badger mortality in the UK
Badger baiting remains an illegal but persistent persecution problem
Vaccination of badgers against bTB is now the primary government strategy in England

Welfare Considerations

Culling using cage trapping and shooting causes significant welfare problems including trap stress, delayed death in poorly shot animals, and disruption of social groups. Perturbation from culling can increase cattle infection risk by moving infected badgers. Vaccination is a welfare-friendlier alternative that protects individual badgers while contributing to disease control.

What You Can Do

Support badger vaccination programmes over culling as the primary bTB control strategy
Report suspected badger baiting to police and the RSPCA
Create wildlife corridors and reduce road traffic risk through safe underpasses
Donate to organisations working on badger vaccination and welfare
Avoid disturbing active badger setts, which is a legal offence in the UK