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Effect of culling on individual badger behaviour: implications for bTB
Journal
Journal of Applied Ecology - First published: 08
October 2019
https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13512
Authors
Cally Ham, Christl
A. Donnelly, Kelly
L. Astley, Seth
Y. B. Jackson, Rosie
Woodroffe
Abstract
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Culling wildlife as a form of disease management
can have unexpected and sometimes counterproductive outcomes. In the
UK, badgers Meles meles are culled in efforts to reduce
badger-to-cattle transmission of Mycobacterium bovis, the causative
agent of bovine tuberculosis (TB). However, culling has previously
been associated with both increased and decreased incidence of M.
bovis infection in cattle.
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The adverse effects of culling have been linked to
cull-induced changes in badger ranging, but such changes are not
well-documented at the individual level. Using GPS-collars, we
characterized individual badger behaviour within an area subjected to
widespread industry-led culling, comparing it with the same area
before culling and with three unculled areas.
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Culling was associated with a 61% increase (95% CI
27%–103%) in monthly home range size, a 39% increase (95% CI 28%–51%)
in nightly maximum distance from the sett, and a 17% increase (95% CI
11%–24%) in displacement between successive GPS-collar locations
recorded at 20-min intervals. Despite travelling further, we found a
91.2 min (95% CI 67.1–115.3 min) reduction in the nightly activity
time of individual badgers associated with culling. These changes
became apparent while culls were ongoing and persisted after culling
ended.
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Expanded ranging in culled areas was associated
with individual badgers visiting 45% (95% CI 15%–80%) more fields each
month, suggesting that surviving individuals had the opportunity to
contact more cattle. Moreover, surviving badgers showed a 19.9-fold
increase (95% CI 10.8–36.4-fold increase) in the odds of trespassing
into neighbouring group territories, increasing opportunities for
intergroup contact.
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Synthesis and applications. Badger culling was
associated with behavioural changes among surviving badgers which
potentially increased opportunities for both badger-to-badger and
badger-to-cattle transmission of Mycobacterium bovis. Furthermore, by
reducing the time badgers spent active, culling may have reduced
badgers' accessibility to shooters, potentially undermining subsequent
population control efforts. Our results specifically illustrate the
challenges posed by badger behaviour to cull-based TB control
strategies and furthermore, they highlight the negative impacts
culling can have on integrated disease control strategies.
Keywords
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