U.K. mulls cull of 10,000 or more badgers

LONDON, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- British farmers and landowners are planning to kill thousands of badgers in an effort to curb a tuberculosis epidemic in cattle.

The nation's badgers, which may number as high as 400,000, help spread the disease by infecting cattle, or becoming infected by them, and then passing the disease on to other herds, The Independent reported Sunday. Since 1994, the number of bovine tuberculosis cases has increased from 125 to 2,000.

Such culling has effectively been banned for the past 10 years, and a 10-year study by the official Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB found it will not help solve the problem. But a consortium of 14 agricultural and veterinary groups has vowed to go forward, and the government appears to be considering allowing it.

The group's plan involves killing as many badgers it can over three years.

The British public appears to be strongly against the idea, the British newspaper said. During a public comment period this year, 95 percent of about 47,000 respondents said they oppose the cull.

Conservationists, however, are divided. Prince Charles has spoken in favor of killing the badgers, while Sir David Attenborough has publicly opposed it.