WOODCHESTER PARK BADGER RESEARCH
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Research at Woodchester Park on Badger Ecology
and the Epidemiology of Bovine Tuberculosis.
Aerial views of the Woodchester Park study
area.
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| © Anton De Leeuw | © Woodchester Park |
Background
Since 1975, the Central Science Laboratory has conducted research and provided advice on the ecology of badgers and the epidemiology of bovine tuberculosis. This research started largely as a result of the badger’s potential role in the transmission of bovine TB to cattle. Bovine TB is a serious contagious disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium bovis, which affects cattle and many other vertebrates, including man. The disease was once widespread but a series of measures implemented in the 1920s to control the disease in cattle, resulted in its virtual elimination from the national herd by 1960. However, since then, distinct geographic pockets of infection have persisted and in the early 1970s the badger was first implicated as a significant reservoir for infection of cattle. As a result, several successive official strategies were implemented in an attempt to reduce the incidence of TB in cattle by culling badgers in areas where they were thought to pose a disease risk. However, although badgers are known to carry the infection and to be potentially infectious, there is as yet no reliable information on the extent to which they may be responsible for transmitting the disease to cattle.
CSL’s research is centred on an 11 km2 study area of mixed woodland and farmland
at Woodchester Park in Gloucestershire. The resident badger population comprises
36 distinct social groups and is the subject of a long-term ecological
and epidemiological study. Badgers are routinely captured throughout
the year in cages baited with peanuts. Captured badgers are examined and screened
for M. bovis before being released unharmed. Other methods employed to monitor the population
include direct observation, radio-tracking,
video surveillance and bait-marking. The Woodchester Park database contains records
of the life histories of over 2000 badgers and over 9000 capture events. In addition, several less intensive studies have also been conducted on other
badger populations in the UK.
Research and Achievements
The study at Woodchester Park is one of the longest running and most detailed
ecological studies of a mammal population in Britain. Research at
Woodchester has made a substantial contribution to our current state of
knowledge regarding both badger ecology and the dynamics of M. bovis infection,
and has resulted in scientific publications on population dynamics, behaviour,
reproductive biology, social organisation, the epidemiology of disease
and study techniques. In addition, the fieldwork and sampling regime
has provided data and biological materials for collaborative research projects
on wildlife management, genetics, behaviour, endocrinology and parasitology
with universities, government agencies and research institutes in the UK
and abroad.
A Geographical Information System (MapInfo) has been employed to investigate
the spatial organisation of badger social groups and the distribution of
infection. Badger territories, latrines and habitat types have been
digitised and provide a valuable visual aid in the identification of patterns
in the data that are not apparent by other means. Data generated
using this system have also been used to investigate the relationships
between badger group size, reproductive output, body weight and habitat
quality.
Data from Woodchester Park provides the raw
material for the construction of spatial
models of disease dynamics. These models produce simplified simulations
of population and disease processes, and
can provide insights into disease management
strategies and in turn identify research
priorities for the future.
A study of the genetic relatedness of badgers in the Woodchester population
is currently underway in collaboration with the University of Sheffield.
A DNA profiling system for the determination of badger genealogies from
blood samples is being developed. The technique will be used to confirm
the parentage of litters and to investigate the possibility of genetically
mediated variations in susceptibility to TB.
An important aspect of the work at Woodchester Park is the provision of
advice and development of techniques, for monitoring and managing badgers.
Some of these techniques have potential applications in wildlife management.
Recently for example electronic tags, electric fencing and biomarkers have
been field tested in the study area. The research team also has particular
expertise in bait delivery systems for badgers and foxes. In addition,
advice has been given on badger conservation, damage to crops, wildlife
translocation and wildlife management by fertility control.
Click here to see our publications list.
Studying badgers in the field can be a very rewarding experience, where on occasions everything goes absolutely perfectly; the badgers have no idea that you are there and you witness an uninhibited display of activity. But sometimes no matter how well prepared you may be, the entire event can be spoilt by a suspicious or nervous animal which bolts down the sett or emerges only to disappear immediately. However, an array of techniques is available to both amateur and professional biologist to increase their chances of successfully studying badgers in the wild.
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The most common way to study or watch badgers in the field is at a sett.
The choice of sett to watch at is important, although in reality you may
have little or no choice in this. Bear in mind that the size of a sett
and the number of entrances present may not be indicative of the number
of badgers in residence. A quick checklist to maximise your chances of
successfully watching badgers at the sett. a) It is often very useful to make a thorough reconnaissance of the sett in the morning of the evening you plan to go out. This allows you to survey the area and plan your strategy for when you return and possibly have to operate in the dark. It also allows for any scent you may leave around the sett to disperse before the badgers emerge. |
| © John Davis |
b) If you have a choice, then choose a sett
that is obviously well used but does not
have too many entrances. Setts with many
entrances are very difficult to watch at,
as it is not always easy to know which entrances
are likely to be used.
c) Check the prevailing wind, and make sure
that you are downwind of all the holes.
d) Choose a sett where there is not too much
undergrowth or vegetation immediately around
the holes at the sett, but preferably where
there is some vegetation about 5-10 m away
for your own cover.
e) Establish a good vantage point that enables
you to see all the entrance holes. It is
good idea to investigate more than one location
during your reconnaissance, as wind direction
may change. If you are unable to find a safe
raised vantage point, then make sure that
you can sit with your back to a tree or other
vegetation so as to avoid forming a silhouette
against the sky. Make sure that you choose
a comfortable seated position as you may
be there for sometime!
f) Keep off the main badger paths en route
to your position and during sett watching,
as badgers have a keen sense of smell and
can detect scent long after the source has
disappeared.
g) Most people watch badgers in the early
evening, but watching before dawn can be
equally rewarding.
h) When watching in the evening make sure
that you arrive by sunset at the latest or
you may disturb badgers leaving the sett
early in the evening.
i) It is important to wear suitable clothing
that is drab in colour and does not rustle
when you move around.
j) Always ensure that the badgers have left
the sett or returned underground before leaving
to go home.
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Watching badgers at the sett is very rewarding,
but can be frustrating once they move
away.
However, it is possible to follow badgers
away from the sett although this will
require
some considerable stealth and care.
Fortunately
badgers are creatures of habit and
usually
follow well worn paths to specific
places
such as favourite feeding areas or
latrines.
You should walk very quietly along
these
paths always keeping a look ahead for
the
animal. Once you locate the animal
you need
to position yourself so as to avoid
the prevailing
wind, prevent yourself from forming
a silhouette
and make sure you are not impeding
the badger's
activity. Badgers are able to move
swiftly
when the need arises and it is very
likely
that without quality night vision equipment,
you may loose sight of the animal even
in
open habitats. An alternative approach
is
to identify an area where you know
badgers
forage (eg. a patch of open pasture)
and
lie in wait in a strategic position. With the aid of infra-red video surveillance equipment, badgers can be observed remotely at particular locations. At Woodchester Park individual badgers are given unique fur clips when caught, so that they can be identified when subsequently observed in the field. |
| A fur-clipped badger (IV) caught on infra-red video. © Ben Garnett |
Badgers can be observed using night vision equipment although this may also prove prohibitively expensive for the amateur enthusiast. Nevertheless, some cheaper night viewing aids are now becoming available on the market.
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Radio telemetry requires that the badger is first caught in a live trap so that it can be anaesthetised and fitted with a collar carrying a miniature transmitter. This should only be attempted by suitably experienced people with the appropriate permission. Once attached, the transmitter emits a series of radio pulses that are detected using an aerial and receiver tuned to the appropriate frequency. Radio tracking can be used in two ways to study badgers. Firstly badgers can be located by triangulation using the strongest signal, allowing the operator to then move into a position where they can see the badger and subsequently follow it. This is dependent on the habitat the animal is found in. Alternatively triangulation fixes can be taken at regular intervals and the position of the animal annotated onto a map without ever actually seeing it. Radio tracking is a very rewarding way to study badgers in the wild, but it is a skill that needs time to develop and one can only get the most out this technique by doing it regularly and getting to know the badger and its associated environment. |
| Radio collared badger ©Richard Yarnell |
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Spool and line tracking is a novel technique
used by biologists to study precise
movements
of targeted individual badgers. As
with radio-tracking
the method involves live capture and
anaesthesia
and should therefore only be carried
out
by suitably experienced persons with
the
relevant permission. The captured badger
is fitted with a spool of ± 4 km of
fine
nylon thread attached to a collar.
Before
the badger is subsequently released
at the
sett, the free end of the thread is
secured
nearby. Once the animal recovers from
anaesthesia
and becomes mobile, the thread pays
out behind
it as it moves. By following the thread
the
tracker is then able to follow the
precise
route the animal has taken. |
badger spoor ©L.Rogers
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Bait marking is a widely used technique for determining the territorial configuration of badger social groups. The method involves placing bait (a mixture of peanuts and golden syrup) laced with indigestible plastic pellets around badger setts. When the badgers consume the bait the indigestible plastic pellets pass harmlessly through the gastro-intestinal tract and can be identified in the droppings. Using a unique colour, shape and texture of plastic pellet for each sett allows the origin of the droppings to be assigned. This method is particularly suited to badgers because they mark their territorial boundaries with communal latrines. Consequently if the area surrounding the setts where bait was fed is surveyed then the distribution of plastic pellets in droppings can be mapped and social group boundaries delineated. This information can be enhanced by also recording other signs of badger activity (e.g. well worn paths) during the survey. |
| Badger droppings containing red plastic markers. |
