BADGERS AND TB - new findings (1 Viewer)

[Sandra (Taylor)]

An interesting article on the UK Safari site about the findings of an investigation into Badgers and TB. They have discovered that it is cows who give badgers TB and there is no reason now to carry on with any badger culls.
At least, that's how I've hurriedly read it.


http://www.uksafari.com/badgertb.htm

Sandra

 

[harry eales]

An interesting article on the UK Safari site about the findings of an investigation into Badgers and TB. They have discovered that it is cows who give badgers TB and there is no reason now to carry on with any badger culls.
At least, that's how I've hurriedly read it.


http://www.uksafari.com/badgertb.htm

Sandra

Hello Sandra,
I've been saying that for years, it was just a hunch, as I don't have the specialised knowledge to do any testing. I've never been able to find any research in this country which looked at this subject in any way other than 'It's the badgers wot done it.'

I don't want be be a jinx, but I bet there will be a lot of objections from the NFU, Vets, various Government Depts and uncle Tom Cobbly and all, that this research is wrong. I'd love to see the slaughter stopped but as with most things done by this current government, they will soldier on regardless, whether right or wrong and regardless of the expense or the suffering of Badgers.

Thanks for posting the link though, perhaps members of BF may like to draw it to the attention of other wildlife groups and organisations. Spread the word so to speak.

Harry

 

[gordon g]

An interesting article on the UK Safari site about the findings of an investigation into Badgers and TB. They have discovered that it is cows who give badgers TB and there is no reason now to carry on with any badger culls.
At least, that's how I've hurriedly read it.


http://www.uksafari.com/badgertb.htm

Sandra

Hopefully any further action will be evidence-based. (possibly a forlorn hope, I realise) I have always wanted the supposed causative link investigated, but then that requires money and a willingness to change, both of which can be lacking politically.

 

[Henry B]

I hope these results are posted in the media, newspapers ,TV etc. Will be interesting to hear other views..

 

[harry eales]

Hopefully any further action will be evidence-based. (possibly a forlorn hope, I realise) I have always wanted the supposed causative link investigated, but then that requires money and a willingness to change, both of which can be lacking politically.

With the intention of drawing this item to the attention of more people I have sent the following Email to the BBC Country File programme. Let us hope they do a follow up to this. They have reported on the culling of Badgers for many years.

The Editor.
Dear Sir,

For many years the BBC has reported on the slaughter or proposed slaughter of thousands of Badgers on the grounds that they are responsible for infecting cattle herds with Bovine TB.

I would draw your attention to the following item :- http://www.uksafari.com/badgertb.htm

There you will find reference to research which shows that this is not in fact the case. The truth appears to be, that the cattle pass it on to Badgers.

The evidence published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the United States’ premier scientific journal, has revealed that cattle rapidly spread bovine TB to badgers. This research has been peer reviewed so it is not just a piece journalistic license.

This may cause a lot of red faces in the Farming and Vetinary community who have for decades have blamed Badgers.

I have never been able to find any published research which looked at this possibility in Britain, it's always been, 'The Badgers fault.'

Perhaps you may find this subject newsworthy enough to cover in your Country File TV Magazine.

It will be welcome news to a great many animal lovers. It may also destroy a few reputations along the way, made by people who have for decades insisted that all the scientific evidence showed Bovine TB was spread by Badgers.

Yours Sincerely,

Harry Eales.

You have to try, don't you?

Harry

 

[Mouldy]

With the intention of drawing this item to the attention of more people I have sent the following Email to the BBC Country File programme. Let us hope they do a follow up to this. They have reported on the culling of Badgers for many years.

......

You have to try, don't you?

Harry

Nice one Harry,

be sure and let us know what sort of response you get.

Alan M

 

[harry eales]

Nice one Harry,

be sure and let us know what sort of response you get.

Alan M

Hello Alan,

I received exactly what I expected, an automated reply saying my Email had been received, but, due to the thousands that are received they cannot be individually replied to.

I just hope someone reads it and acts upon it.

I've just realised you live at the 'Gill', your just down the road from me.

Edit.
Nice web site and beautiful pictures. Any on insects yet?

Harry

 

[myotis]

An interesting article on the UK Safari site about the findings of an investigation into Badgers and TB. They have discovered that it is cows who give badgers TB and there is no reason now to carry on with any badger culls.
At least, that's how I've hurriedly read it.

http://www.uksafari.com/badgertb.htm

Sandra

Having read this article and the press release from the badger trust, I suggest that people who are interested in this issue, make the effort to read the original paper.

The full paper is at http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/103/40/14713 and I have pasted the abstract below.

Graham

"Human and livestock diseases can be difficult to control where infection persists in wildlife populations. In Britain, European badgers (Meles meles) are implicated in transmitting Mycobacterium bovis, the causative agent of bovine tuberculosis (TB), to cattle. Badger culling has therefore been a component of British TB control policy for many years. However, large-scale field trials have recently shown that badger culling has the capacity to cause both increases and decreases in cattle TB incidence. Here, we show that repeated badger culling in the same area is associated with increasing prevalence of M. bovis infection in badgers, especially where landscape features allow badgers from neighboring land to recolonize culled areas. This impact on prevalence in badgers might reduce the beneficial effects of culling on cattle TB incidence, and could contribute to the detrimental effects that have been observed. Additionally, we show that suspension of cattle TB controls during a nationwide epidemic of foot and mouth disease, which substantially delayed removal of TB-affected cattle, was associated with a widespread increase in the prevalence of M. bovis infection in badgers. This pattern suggests that infection may be transmitted from cattle to badgers, as well as vice versa. Clearly, disease control measures aimed at either host species may have unintended consequences for transmission, both within and between species. Our findings highlight the need for policymakers to consider multiple transmission routes when managing multihost pathogens."

 

[Gill Osborne]

Thanks for posting that Sandra :t:

Like Harry, I've said many times over the years that the cows are also passing it onto badgers yet the poor badgers get all the blame!
Let's hope Country File brings this to the attention of a lot more folk......though I have a feeling the farmers et al will be up in arms LOL

 

[Martin Thomas]

It is called BOVINE tubercolosis after all....!

I heard a preliminary result from a study almost three years ago which said that the disease passes between various species and that most of the problems were being caused by poor testing of cattle. Shame it's taken this long for it to be confirmed.

One particular trial found that eliminating badgers immediately from ana area adjacent infected cattle actually increased the incidence of the disease as this caused other badgers to disperse into the vacuum and they in turn became infected and passed back the TB to other cattle.

BBC Radio 4 Today programme recently ran a feature on an organically-farmed estate
which has successfully avoided any outbreaks of Bovine TB since treating both
its cattle and resident badger populations with supplements of selenium and
iodine.

Sadly, I doubt that the farming community who have a general intollerance of badgers (and other wildlife) will fail be be persuaded by any argument and will no doubt continue lobby for a cull.

 

[alcedo.atthis]

This has been on the web for a couple of months now :-

http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/tb/abouttb/badgers.htm

Interesting reading, including all the links.

Regards

Malky

 

[Jodd]

Two different interpretations of the same report (culling badgers is not the solution!)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/5401266.stm

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=53395

plus another link

http://www.mycattle.com/news/dsp_international_article.cfm?storyid=19157

 

[Mouldy]

Edit.
Nice web site and beautiful pictures. Any on insects yet?

Harry

Cheers Harry,

no insects yet but have some planned for the near future, am doing Badgers at the moment from a local sett, saw them for the first time just a couple of months back, wonderful sight, beautiful creatures, hence the interest.

 

[Jodd]

Article from Simon Barnes

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,175-2392695,00.html

 

[Keith Reeder]

Do you think they'll try and blame badgers for this too?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_midlands/6039216.stm