That's the Badger
50 x 50 cm
acrylic & pencil on canvas
In certain “TB Zones” around the U.K. mainly the Western portion of England there are many cattle herds at risk of contracting bovine tuberculosis or BTB. Much of this contamination is blamed on the wild and indigenous populations of badgers; approximately 50% of the responsibility is blamed on badgers. Organised and sanctioned culls of badgers have taken place in these areas over the last few years,. No doubt hoping to vastly reduce their population and reduce the chances of the cattle contracting the bovine TB.
This has been in many ways a controversial decision as research has shown that around only 6% of infected cattle actually caught BTB from badgers, the infection is more likely to have been spread via the interaction of infected cows with other non-infected cows from different herds, perhaps during market days, agricultural shows and even the transportation between infected areas of the U.K. It is also suggested that the Bovine TB virus thrives in the warm, poorly ventilated and crowded cattle sheds where the cattle herds over winter. Cattle that carry BTB undetected simply pass it back to the indigenous wildlife via their waste whilst grazing in the fields. If the wildlife does become infected, then the virus is simply just returned to uninfected cattle. Most badgers do not have bovine tuberculosis. BTB is present in an infected cow’s raw milk, but pasteurisation destroys it.