Badgers are protected by law but subjected to mass culling in parts of England as part of a bovine tuberculosis control policy. Their welfare in this context is deeply contested.
Badger welfare in culling zones involves both the direct welfare of culled individuals and the social disruption to surviving groups. The perturbation effect - where culling disperses badgers and potentially spreads TB further - creates both a welfare and epidemiological concern. Individual badgers that are wounded but not killed in controlled shooting operations suffer significant welfare harms. The vaccination alternative causes only short-term welfare impacts from trapping and injection. The evidence base supporting vaccination as an effective alternative continues to grow.