Fox or badger? Scientists identify main culprit in lamb attacks
2nd September 2024
Research by the Royal Veterinary College has found the main cause of lamb attacks on Scottish farms – and the culprit was a surprise.
Despite perceptions, foxes remain the most likely culprit in lamb attacks on Scottish farms, rather than badgers, a new study has shown.
In recent years, there have been growing concerns in the Scottish farming sector about the suspected role badgers play in killing lambs.
Whilst predation is a natural part of animal life, it can have a severe impact on farms when livestock are killed or injured.
As attacks are rarely witnessed by humans, identification of specific prey species can be challenging.
A survey in 2019 suggested 11% of wildlife attacks on livestock were attributed to badgers, increasing to more than 30% in regions with higher badger density.
DNA analysis reveals culprit
To learn more about the role of badgers in lamb predation, the new research was led by Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA), in partnership with NatureScot, National Farmers Union Scotland and Scottish Land and Estates (SLE), and supported by the RVC.
The study looked at 27 Scottish farms that all suspected they had previously lost lambs to badger predation.
Predation was confirmed in 48% of lambs. 31% had been scavenged after death and for the remaining 21 per cent predation could not be ruled out.
Fox DNA was present on 87% of the lambs, including all the lambs that showed evidence of predation.
Meanwhile, badger DNA was only detected on 5% of lambs but not on any of the lambs where predation was confirmed.
Vital evidence
Henny Martineau, head of veterinary forensic pathology and senior lecturer in Anatomic Pathology at the RVC, said:
“This research has provided vital evidence to ease concerns that badgers are the main culprit of lamb attacks on Scottish farms.
“Working as a team with multiple specialists in the field together with good farmer engagement, helped us to interpret our findings quickly and effectively.
“The patterns of injury recorded during post-mortem examination will also serve as a reference for working out what predator species could be responsible for lamb attacks in the future.”
Sheila George, wildlife biologist at SASA, added:
“Livestock predation can be distressing for farmers but understanding the species responsible, and field signs to look out for, can inform how livestock managers respond.
“We did not find DNA evidence that badgers killed lambs or regularly scavenged carcasses, but DNA analysis indicated that foxes were responsible where predation occurred.
“The findings show the importance of taking an evidence-based approach and should help identify appropriate mitigation to reduce future predation risk.”
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