Welfare of badgers (Meles meles) subjected to culling: development and evaluation of a closed season
Welfare of badgers (Meles meles) subjected to culling: development and evaluation of a closed season
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被扑杀的獾（Meles meles）的福利：封闭季节的发展和评估
DOI：
10.1017/s0962728600028888
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发表时间：
2005
期刊：
影响因子：
1.2
通讯作者：
W. Morrison
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
R. Woodroffe;F. J. Bourne;C. Cheeseman;D. Cox;C. Donnelly;G. Gettinby;J. McInerney;W. Morrison
过去 25 年来，英国一直对欧洲獾 (Meles meles) 进行扑杀，以限制结核病 (TB) 在牛身上的传播。作为对獾扑杀作为结核病控制措施的有效性和可接受性进行深远评估的一部分，本文评估了遭受扑杀的獾种群福利的一个方面：杀死繁殖中的雌性，这可能会让未断奶的幼崽在巢穴中挨饿。为了避免这种可能性，根据对英国獾出生和断奶时间的最佳估计，从2月1日到4月30日采取了为期三个月的封闭季节。 1999 年 5 月至 2003 年期间，总共扑杀了 4705 只成年獾，现场工作人员在遣送獾母亲时未能捕获 12 只未断奶的幼獾。在另外 31 个案例中，哺乳期的雌性被扑杀，但几乎断奶的幼崽也被捕获并送往同一个巢穴，通常是在捕获母亲后一天之内。扑杀小组错过的未断奶幼崽数量——估计平均每年约九只——远低于獾福利游说团体预测的数量。我们的数据表明，禁渔期可以有效减少被扑杀的獾种群中未断奶幼崽的痛苦，我们建议如果獾扑杀成为未来结核病控制政策的一部分，则应维持这一措施。
For the past 25 years, European badgers (Meles meles) have been subject to culling in Britain in attempts to limit the spread of tuberculosis (TB) to cattle. As part of a far-reaching evaluation of the effectiveness and acceptability of badger culling as a TB control measure, this paper assesses one aspect of the welfare of badger populations subjected to culling: the killing of breeding females, which risks leaving their unweaned cubs to starve in the den. To avoid this possibility, a three-month closed season was adopted, running from 1st February to 30th April, based on the best available estimates of the timing of birth and weaning in British badgers. During May 1999–2003, when a total of 4705 adult badgers were culled, field teams failed to capture 12 unweaned litters when their mothers were despatched. In 31 other cases, lactating females were culled but litters of almost-weaned cubs were also caught and despatched at the same dens, usually within a day of capture of the mother. The number of unweaned cubs missed by culling teams — estimated at approximately nine per year on average — was dramatically lower than that projected by a badger welfare lobby group. Our data suggest that the closed season is effective in reducing the suffering of unweaned cubs in badger populations subject to culling, and we recommend that this measure be maintained should badger culling form a component of any future TB control policy.