The Woodchester Park Badger Research project became part of The Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera) on 1 April 2009.
The content of this site is under review and will be integrated into Fera's website (www.defra.gov.uk/fera) in the near future.
In the meantime, this site has been left live as a source of reference. If you have any specific questions relating to this site please email info@fera.gsi.gov.uk.
The Eurasian Badger (Meles meles) is the subject of a long-term research project at Woodchester Park. In
1976, the study was
set up to investigate the possible transmission of bovine TB between badgers
and cattle. Since then the resident badger population
has been intensively monitored by means of radio-tracking, observational studies and a live capture-mark-release programme. This has
resulted in the production of an extensive database describing the life
histories of hundreds of individual badgers from this undisturbed
natural population. This data has been used to further our knowledge of
badger ecology and the epidemiology of bovine TB.
The aim of this website is to provide an
insight into badger ecology and a point of
reference for anyone interested in badgers.
Last Updated: 4 October 2005
Maintained by: Mark Claridge
Website hosted by the Central Science Laboratory