For the past 25 years, European badgers (Meles meles) have been subject to culling in Britain in attempts to limit the spread of tuberculosis (TB) to cattle. As part of a far-reaching evaluation of the effectiveness and acceptability of badger culling as a TB control measure, this paper assesses one aspect of the welfare of badger populations subjected to culling: the killing of breeding females, which risks leaving their unweaned cubs to starve in the den. To avoid this possibility, a three-month closed season was adopted, running from 1st February to 30th April, based on the best available estimates of the timing of birth and weaning in British badgers. During May 1999–2003, when a total of 4705 adult badgers were culled, field teams failed to capture 12 unweaned litters when their mothers were despatched. In 31 other cases, lactating females were culled but litters of almost-weaned cubs were also caught and despatched at the same dens, usually within a day of capture of the mother. The number of unweaned cubs missed by culling teams — estimated at approximately nine per year on average — was dramatically lower than that projected by a badger welfare lobby group. Our data suggest that the closed season is effective in reducing the suffering of unweaned cubs in badger populations subject to culling, and we recommend that this measure be maintained should badger culling form a component of any future TB control policy.

It is demonstrated that cross-fostering is a practical way of improving the rate of increase of a rare species in captivity. Two adult Bettongia tropica were captured in northern Queensland and housed in captivity in Adelaide, South Australia. Eleven pouch young born in captivity to the wild-caught B. tropica were transferred at 20 days old or older to B. penicillata foster mothers and nine were reared successfully. Of a further 10 young not fostered, six were reared by the wild-caught mother. Fostering allowed the wild-caught female to produce surviving young nearly twice as frequently as if she had reared them in her pouch.

Sexual maturity occurred at 246-523 days (x[bar] = 407.2 ± 59.9 days) in 4 males and at 185-429 days (x[bar] = 300.5 ± 26.0 days) in 11 females. Breeding continues throughout the year and females undergo embryonic diapause whilst supporting a pouch young. The female reproductive system is remarkable for its relatively long urethra and lateral vaginae and consequently short urogenital sinus. The male reproductive system is unremarkable, having a carrot-shaped prostate gland and three pairs of Cowper's glands, as do many other macropodoid species. Two pairs of paracloacal glands are found in males and females.