Didn't the only large scale test of culling show that you have to kill the vast majority of badgers in a large area to get a small reduction in the number of bovine TB cases?
And in the previous culls when the independent body appointed by the government pointed out that the number of badgers being killed was low and there was no checking as to whether they had TB, the government's response was to sack the independent body.
Strikes me that the government is throwing good money after bad and that it would be better to look at the cattle themselves to see how they are spreading TB within a herd.
They are after all the main cause and main victim of bovine TB
I'm not a virologist, but I suspect the clue is is in the word herd. Unless you are going to separate herd animals into one to a field, you have to look at what infects the herd, not what happens once one animal in the herd is infected, because that's pretty obvious.
I'm not a virologist, but I suspect the clue is is in the word herd. Unless you are going to separate herd animals into one to a field, you have to look at what infects the herd, not what happens once one animal in the herd is infected, because that's pretty obvious.
Until you deal with herd transmission then bovine TB is going to be a major problem.
Rabbits are a major pest in Australia. They were first introduced by Europeans for sport - but having no natural predators - they bred like rabbits
There's a new version of the calicivirus just approved for release next year
"A new virus that will kill pest rabbits has just been given the all clear for release by the Federal Government authority.
K5 strain of calicivirus disease set to be released in Autumn, 2017
Disease is third ever biological tool used to control rabbits in Australia
Land owners invited to help monitor populations for free vials of disease
The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) has spent the past 18 months assessing the application for registration of K5 — a Korean strain of the calicivirus disease."
It follows a decade-long program by the Invasive Animals Co-operative Research Centre (CRC) investigating biological tools to curb escalating rabbit numbers.
We need to get wild rabbit back on the menu.
If it was a food that everyone ate regularly, the numbers would be under control in no time.
Prof Rosie Woodroffe, Senior Research Fellow at (ZSL), said: “The badger TB issue is very sensitive. It does not mean that badgers don’t give TB to cattle.
Not sure how reliable the trial would be unless they could track infected badgers. Sick badgers get evicted from setts and the disease alters their behaviour.
But that is the problem. None of the badgers that are shot are tested. Therefore it is not known how prevalent infected badgers are in a given area or even within a set. It has also been found that the shooting of the badgers causes disruption and abandonment of the set by the surviving badgers, so if they are responsible for Bovine TB this might even make the problem worse, that is without taking the estimated cost of £7000 per badger shot in to consideration.
The badger culls in both Gloucestershire and Somerset since 2013 were considered as trials, so it is staggering just how unscientific they have been as no meaningful data can have been obtained.
If I have a pests or an infestation in my house, rats, mice, wasps, fleas, etc, and I call the local council I am expected to pay for their services. If farmers want to take part in these culls I really don't see why they tax payer should be footing the bill, it should be the land owner who pays.
The badger culls in both Gloucestershire and Somerset since 2013 were considered as trials, so it is staggering just how unscientific they have been as no meaningful data can have been obtained.
Yup. That's the stupid part. Pretty much any kind of disease management involves tracking the spread and culling the infected. So my small-scale version of culling rabbits with myxy. We shot rabbits and other game to eat, so were conscious of trying to maintain a healthy population.
A more sensible approach would be to map setts, test those for TB and vaccinate/cull the infected ones. That would cost more, but result in a healthier badger population and less cross-infection.
Yup. That's the stupid part. Pretty much any kind of disease management involves tracking the spread and culling the infected. So my small-scale version of culling rabbits with myxy. We shot rabbits and other game to eat, so were conscious of trying to maintain a healthy population.
A more sensible approach would be to map setts, test those for TB and vaccinate/cull the infected ones. That would cost more, but result in a healthier badger population and less cross-infection.
I live in Gloucestershire and I know just how devastating Bovine TB can be, not only for the farmers but for the cattle as well.
There is no doubt something has to be done and if it can be shown scientifically, based on data obtained from the culls so far then fine. But that simply isn't the case.
Most farmers and other landowners have little time for badgers because of the damage they can cause, plus of course they are protected and so can't be legally killed. So I do wonder if there is also an ulterior motive behind much of this from farmers to have a justification, no matter how tenuous, to remove badgers from their land.
Most farmers and other landowners have little time for badgers because of the damage they can cause, plus of course they are protected and so can't be legally killed. So I do wonder if there is also an ulterior motive behind much of this from farmers to have a justification, no matter how tenuous, to remove badgers from their land.
Might just be laziness in some cases. I guess it depends where the sett is and what damage the badgers are doing. But that's part of effective land management. So badgers eat wild bird's eggs & small mammals, so an uncontrolled population with no predation's bad for other wildlife.. But having strict protections, there's not much landowners can do to manage the problems they might cause. It's also where better population studies may help, ie do badgers currently need as much protection as they have? If not, perhaps there'll be more competition for urban foxes.
Is bovine TB really a problem? Aren't cattle herds routinely vaccinated?
And while on the subject, why not use dart guns to vaccinate badgers (if you insist on keeping them). Get the green weenies and animal rights people to get off their bums and get donations for the project.
Comments
I'm not a virologist, but I suspect the clue is is in the word herd. Unless you are going to separate herd animals into one to a field, you have to look at what infects the herd, not what happens once one animal in the herd is infected, because that's pretty obvious.
Vaccination is the only way to deal with the herd, as we do with humans. What's your solution?
We need to get wild rabbit back on the menu.
If it was a food that everyone ate regularly, the numbers would be under control in no time.
But that is the problem. None of the badgers that are shot are tested. Therefore it is not known how prevalent infected badgers are in a given area or even within a set. It has also been found that the shooting of the badgers causes disruption and abandonment of the set by the surviving badgers, so if they are responsible for Bovine TB this might even make the problem worse, that is without taking the estimated cost of £7000 per badger shot in to consideration.
The badger culls in both Gloucestershire and Somerset since 2013 were considered as trials, so it is staggering just how unscientific they have been as no meaningful data can have been obtained.
If I have a pests or an infestation in my house, rats, mice, wasps, fleas, etc, and I call the local council I am expected to pay for their services. If farmers want to take part in these culls I really don't see why they tax payer should be footing the bill, it should be the land owner who pays.
Blimey.
Yup. That's the stupid part. Pretty much any kind of disease management involves tracking the spread and culling the infected. So my small-scale version of culling rabbits with myxy. We shot rabbits and other game to eat, so were conscious of trying to maintain a healthy population.
A more sensible approach would be to map setts, test those for TB and vaccinate/cull the infected ones. That would cost more, but result in a healthier badger population and less cross-infection.
They move goalposts so presumably are grounds staff
I live in Gloucestershire and I know just how devastating Bovine TB can be, not only for the farmers but for the cattle as well.
There is no doubt something has to be done and if it can be shown scientifically, based on data obtained from the culls so far then fine. But that simply isn't the case.
Most farmers and other landowners have little time for badgers because of the damage they can cause, plus of course they are protected and so can't be legally killed. So I do wonder if there is also an ulterior motive behind much of this from farmers to have a justification, no matter how tenuous, to remove badgers from their land.
hope they don't get sett in their ways.
Might just be laziness in some cases. I guess it depends where the sett is and what damage the badgers are doing. But that's part of effective land management. So badgers eat wild bird's eggs & small mammals, so an uncontrolled population with no predation's bad for other wildlife.. But having strict protections, there's not much landowners can do to manage the problems they might cause. It's also where better population studies may help, ie do badgers currently need as much protection as they have? If not, perhaps there'll be more competition for urban foxes.
I try to have it on my menu as it's tasty. Plus dentists might approve as they get more business from people finding shot.
It always used to be but drifted out of fashion. And some rabbits are reared for food in less than ideal conditions.
And while on the subject, why not use dart guns to vaccinate badgers (if you insist on keeping them). Get the green weenies and animal rights people to get off their bums and get donations for the project.
They both claim it's the best way to control pests yet neither method is very effective. Could there be another agenda?
'Fake science used to justify badger culls'
Well there's a surprise
we need to save our fellow badgers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIRVBtp36rk
I suppose this time we'll get told "they ate the half time oranges"