Cornwall Badgers

Working with local communities to understand and prevent TB transmission between badgers and cattle. Views our own.

[Rosie Woodroffe @RosieWoodroffe]

We are heading back to the office now. Thanks for following this morning’s live tweets! We will do this again on a morning when we are just vaccinating not sampling so you can see the difference. Follow ⁦@cornishbadgers⁩ for regular updates. Goodbye! #badgervaccination

[Rosie Woodroffe @RosieWoodroffe]

As vaccination is fine under licence it’s important to record exactly who did what, when, to each badger! This project is subject to oversight under three different licences by @naturalengland and the home office #badgervaccination

[Rosie Woodroffe @RosieWoodroffe]

As well as trapping and vaccinating we are trying a new way to estimate badger numbers using camera traps. If we know how many badgers there are we can estimate what proportion we are vaccinating, helping us evaluate the likely impact on TB #badgervaccination

[Rosie Woodroffe @RosieWoodroffe]

The vaccine has to stay cold all the time until it is made up to inject so it sits in the vehicle in a 12V fridge. There’s a thermometer with it to make sure it never leaves the safe zone for temperature #badgervaccination

[Rosie Woodroffe @RosieWoodroffe]

You need a llicence to set badger traps but here the farmers have prebaited the traps to get the badgers used to going in. One farmer came along this morning to see what we caught #badgervaccination

[Rosie Woodroffe @RosieWoodroffe]

So this morning we have anaesthetised, microchipped, blood sampled, vaccinated and released five badgers. I chose an easy trap round to live tweet! If we were just vaccinating we would have been finished over an hour ago #badgervaccination

[Rosie Woodroffe @RosieWoodroffe]

All recovered and ready to head home! #badgervaccination

[Rosie Woodroffe @RosieWoodroffe]

Sleeping it off in the cage. This anaesthetised badger is temporarily marked but also marked permanently with a microchip #badgervaccination

[Rosie Woodroffe @RosieWoodroffe]

Then adding stock marker spray makes sure we will recognise this vaccinated badger if we catch it again tomorrow #badgervaccination

[Rosie Woodroffe @RosieWoodroffe]

Clipping the very ends of the fur exposes the pale underfur to make a temporary mark #badgervaccination

[Rosie Woodroffe @RosieWoodroffe]

Waiting for badger to go to sleep.... wish I could do the same! #badgervaccination

[Rosie Woodroffe @RosieWoodroffe]

Syringe is labelled to avoid confusion between immobilising drugs and vaccine! #badgervaccination

[Rosie Woodroffe @RosieWoodroffe]

Drugs ready for badger number 5. If we were just vaccinating we’d be finished long ago but sampling is much slower #badgervaccination

[Rosie Woodroffe @RosieWoodroffe]

Between an electric fence and a gorse bush? #thanksguys #badgervaccination

[Rosie Woodroffe @RosieWoodroffe]

It’s pretty common to find a badger asleep in the trap like this one #badgervaccination

[Rosie Woodroffe @RosieWoodroffe]

Here is @cally_ham making up the vaccine #badgervaccination

[Rosie Woodroffe @RosieWoodroffe]

Two more badgers at the next sett #badgervaccination

[Rosie Woodroffe @RosieWoodroffe]

We are careful to disinfect boots and vehicle tyres between farms to avoid spreading contamination. We are trying to help farmers control a disease not spread it ourselves #badger vaccination

[Rosie Woodroffe @RosieWoodroffe]

Off to the next sett #badgervaccination

[Rosie Woodroffe @RosieWoodroffe]

Within minutes the badger is coming round from anaesthetic def back in the trap #badgervaccination