Volta

Dispersal patterns in a medium‐density Irish badger population: Implications for understanding the dynamics of tuberculosis transmission

Abstract European badgers (Meles meles) are group‐living mustelids implicated in the spread of bovine tuberculosis (TB) to cattle and act as a wildlife reservoir for the disease. In badgers, only a minority of individuals disperse from their natal social group. However, dispersal may be extremely important for the spread of TB, as dispersers could act as hubs for disease transmission. We monitored a population of 139 wild badgers over 7 years in a medium‐density population (1.8 individuals/km2). GPS tracking collars were applied to 80 different individuals. Of these, we identified 25 dispersers, 14 of which were wearing collars as they dispersed. This allowed us to record the process of dispersal in much greater detail than ever before. We show that …

Reference & gravity metrics

Secondary-market trade history

References (0)

Cited by (1)