Rehabilitating and releasing badgers in England

Abstract

Wildlife groups and Defra have worked together to update the Badger Rehabilitation Protocol, which was first published in 2003, in response to recent interest in badger translocations from vets and farmers. The protocol provides guidelines about all aspects of how badgers should be rehabilitated and released, with a particular focus on reducing the risk of Mycobacterium bovis transmission. This article outlines the new protocol and how vets should handle all badger rehabilitation.