Abstract
Although Britain contains a substantial proportion of the badger population in western Europe, the species is vulnerable to persecution and habitat perturbations. To help monitor changes in the British badger population, a stratified random sampling system was developed. It was estimated that there are 42 000 badger social groups in Britain, but with no persecution and simple changes in land use, thereby increasing habitat diversity, badger numbers could be 40% higher. At present there are approximately 250 000 adult badgers, with 172 000 cubs born each year. Annual adult mortality was estimated to be approximately 61 000 animals, annual cub mortality 64 500 pre-emergence and 41 500 post-emergence. The greatest single known cause of badger mortality is road deaths (about 50 000 animals a year), with approximately 10 000 killed illegally by badger diggers. A further 1000 are culled each year in an attempt to control bovine tuberculosis. The value of our approach for monitoring changes in badger numbers is discussed, and its applicability to other species examined.
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© 1992 Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd
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Harris, S., Cresswell, W., Reason, P., Cresswell, P. (1992). An Integrated Approach to Monitoring Badger (Meles Meles) Population Changes in Britain. In: McCullough, D.R., Barrett, R.H. (eds) Wildlife 2001: Populations. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-2868-1_72
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-2868-1_72
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