Mild winters boost badger numbers
12 September 2000
Mild winters boost badger numbers
By FWi staff
BADGER populations are on the increase following a number of mild winters and tougher laws on baiting, according to a new study.
A 20-year Oxford University study of badger populations found a strong link between warmer Januarys and growing numbers, reports The Daily Telegraph.
The study population rose from 70 in the early 1980s to 270 in the late1990s.
Badgers have also benefited from tougher legislation in the nineties against baiting and destruction of setts.
Many farmers claim the increase in badger numbers has led to the spread of bovine tuberculosis in dairy cattle across the UK.
- Badger boom wreaks havoc, FWi, 28 November 1997
- Badger cull demand as report shows 77% increase, FWi, 20 August 1997
- The Daily Telegraph 12/09/2000 page 14
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