Badger vaccine project generates 'delight' The UK's first
independent badger vaccination project has proved that the
technique is "viable and affordable", according to the charity
running it. The Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust vaccinated 35
badgers during the summer against the bacterium that causes
tuberculosis (TB) in cattle. The government wants to fight
cattle TB in England through culling, but animal groups see
vaccination as preferable. The trial did not look for any impact
on disease in badgers or cattle. Instead, the idea was to see
how feasible it would be to train staff and vaccinate the
animals, and how much it might cost. "We are delighted with the
results (which prove) that there is an affordable alternative to
the proposed cull," said Gordon McGlone, the trust's chief
executive. "Bovine TB is a big problem, but local culling of one
of our much-loved native animals is not the answer. "Scientists
have spent the last 12 years investigating whether killing
badgers will halt this serious disease in c