Effect of selective removal of badgers (<i>Meles meles</i>) on ranging behaviour during a ‘Test and Vaccinate or Remove’ intervention in Northern Ireland

O’Hagan, Maria; Gordon, Alan; McCormick, Carl; Collins, Shane F.; Trimble, Nigel; McGeown, Clare F.; McHugh, Geraldine E.; McBride, Kathryn R.; Menzies, F. D.

doi:10.1017/s0950268821001096

Cited by 15 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…During year 1, all captured badger were tested, vaccinated and released to enable the estimation of a baseline of normal ranging behaviour. 28 The field activities (land survey, cage deployment and baiting) were undertaken by 18 staff working in six three-person teams supported by a team of up to five veterinary surgeons who undertook the anaesthesia and sampling of the captured badgers.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Swabs were also taken from any bite wounds observed on the animal. During years 1–4, a subset of badgers ( n = 40) had global positioning system collars fitted to monitor their ranging behaviour 28 . To facilitate recovery from anaesthesia, badgers were positioned in a nearby sheltered location or returned to the cage until they had recovered.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Test positive badgers were euthanised, while test negative badgers were vaccinated during years 2–5. During year 1, all captured badger were tested, vaccinated and released to enable the estimation of a baseline of normal ranging behaviour 28 …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Test and vaccinate or remove: Methodology and preliminary results from a badger intervention research project

Menzies¹,

McCormick

O’Hagan³

et al. 2021

Veterinary Record

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Background: In the British Isles, it is generally accepted that the Eurasian badger (Meles meles) plays a role in the maintenance of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in cattle. Non‐selective culling is the main intervention method deployed in controlling bTB in badgers along with smaller scale Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccination areas. This paper describes the use of selective badger culling combined with vaccination in a research intervention trial. Methods: In Northern Ireland, a 100 km2 area was subjected to a test and vaccinate or remove (TVR) badger intervention over a 5‐year period. Badgers were individually identified and tested on an annual basis. Physical characteristics and clinical samples were obtained from each unique badger capture event. Results: A total of 824 badgers were trapped with 1520 capture/sampling events. There were no cage‐related injuries to the majority of badgers (97%). A low level of badger removal was required (4.1%–16.4% annually), while 1412 BCG vaccinations were administered. A statistically significant downward trend in the proportion of test positive badgers was observed. Conclusion: This is the first project to clearly demonstrate the feasibility of cage side testing of badgers. The results provide valuable data on the logistics and resources required to undertake a TVR approach to control Mycobacterium bovis in badgers.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Test and vaccinate or remove: Methodology and preliminary results from a badger intervention research project

Menzies¹,

McCormick

O’Hagan³

et al. 2021

Veterinary Record

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“…However, we acknowledge that more spatially accurate techniques for estimating home range are available, e.g. [53,80]. Because MCP can include areas not regularly used by an animal, this method will overestimate HR size.…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

Badger territoriality maintained despite disturbance of major road construction

Gaughran

Mullen²,

MacWhite

et al. 2021

PLoS ONE

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Road ecology has traditionally focused on the impact of in-situ and functional roads on wildlife. However, road construction also poses a major, yet understudied, threat and the implications for key aspects of animal behaviour are unknown. Badgers (Meles meles) have been implicated in the transmission of tuberculosis to cattle. There are concerns that environmental disturbances, including major road construction, can disrupt badger territoriality, promoting the spread of the disease to cattle. To address these knowledge gaps the ranging behaviour of a medium-density Irish badger population was monitored using GPS-tracking collars before, during, and after a major road realignment project that bisected the study area. We estimated badgers’ home range sizes, nightly distances travelled, and the distance and frequency of extra-territorial excursions during each phase of the study and quantified any changes to these parameters. We show that road construction had a very limited effect on ranging behaviour. A small increase in nightly distance during road construction did not translate into an increase in home range size, nor an increase in the distance or frequency of extra-territorial excursions during road construction. In addition, suitable mitigation measures to prevent badger deaths appeared to ensure that normal patterns of ranging behaviour continued once the new road was in place. We recommend that continuous badger-proof fencing be placed along the entire length of new major roads, in combination with appropriately sited underpasses. Our analysis supports the view that road construction did not cause badgers to change their ranging behaviour in ways likely to increase the spread of tuberculosis.

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“…Importantly, data on the effects of disturbances, such as clearfelling and road building, need to be established, as well as how this relates to interspecific transmission. Gaughran et al [ 52 ] and O’Hagan et al [ 54 ] both used GPS trackers on badgers to assess the impact of road realignment and low-level culling on ranging behaviour, respectively. Both studies showed that such processes can have subtle effects on badger behaviour, which may not meaningfully contribute to increasing disease spread dynamics.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disturbance Ecology Meets Bovine Tuberculosis (bTB) Epidemiology: A Before-and-After Study on the Association between Forest Clearfelling and bTB Herd Risk in Cattle Herds

et al. 2022

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Disturbance ecology refers to the study of discrete processes that disrupt the structure or dynamics of an ecosystem. Such processes can, therefore, affect wildlife species ecology, including those that are important pathogen hosts. We report on an observational before-and-after study on the association between forest clearfelling and bovine tuberculosis (bTB) herd risk in cattle herds, an episystem where badgers (Meles meles) are the primary wildlife spillover host. The study design compared herd bTB breakdown risk for a period of 1 year prior to and after exposure to clearfelling across Ireland at sites cut in 2015–2017. The percent of herds positive rose from 3.47% prior to clearfelling to 4.08% after exposure. After controlling for confounders (e.g., herd size, herd type), we found that cattle herds significantly increased their odds of experiencing a bTB breakdown by 1.2-times (95%CIs: 1.07–1.36) up to 1 year after a clearfell risk period. Disturbance ecology of wildlife reservoirs is an understudied area with regards to shared endemic pathogens. Epidemiological observational studies are the first step in building an evidence base to assess the impact of such disturbance events; however, such studies are limited in inferring the mechanism for any changes in risk observed. The current cohort study suggested an association between clearfelling and bTB risk, which we speculate could relate to wildlife disturbance affecting pathogen spillback to cattle, though the study design precludes causal inference. Further studies are required. However, ultimately, integration of epidemiology with wildlife ecology will be important for understanding the underlying mechanisms involved, and to derive suitable effective management proposals, if required.

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Effect of selective removal of badgers (Meles meles) on ranging behaviour during a ‘Test and Vaccinate or Remove’ intervention in Northern Ireland

Cited by 15 publications

References 34 publications

Test and vaccinate or remove: Methodology and preliminary results from a badger intervention research project

Test and vaccinate or remove: Methodology and preliminary results from a badger intervention research project

Badger territoriality maintained despite disturbance of major road construction

Disturbance Ecology Meets Bovine Tuberculosis (bTB) Epidemiology: A Before-and-After Study on the Association between Forest Clearfelling and bTB Herd Risk in Cattle Herds

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