Tuberculosis in cattle: the results of the four-area project

Table 1 Numbers of badgers captured in the treatment areas, by year and county, prior to the start of the study and during the study

Area	Period	Year	Cork	Donegal	Kilkenny	Monaghan	Total
Removal areas		1988-92	31	118	0	3	152
	Pre-study period^a	1992/93	11	0	0	0	11
		1993/94	9	0	0	34	43
		1994/95	0	5	4	56	65
		1995/96	0	4	148	123	275
		1996/97	1	0	57	0	58
		Total	21	9	209	213	452
	Study period	1997/98	235	191	189	176	791
		1998/99	103	38	83	84	308
		1999/00	46	16	61	71	194
		2000/01^b	29	16	28	34	107
		2001/02	36	16	49	78	179
		Total	449	277	410	443	1,579
Buffer areas		1988-92	16	0	0	0	16
	Pre-study period^a	1992/93	0	0	0	0	0
		1993/94	0	0	0	7	7
		1994/95	0	0	0	3	3
		1995/96	2	0	0	1	3
		1996/97	0	0	0	0	0
		Total	2	0	0	11	13
	Study period	1997/98	166	17	61	78	322
		1998/99	85	16	16	42	159
		1999/00	53	10	14	34	111
		2000/01^b	22	6	18	20	66
		2001/02	31	16	33	43	123
		Total	357	65	142	217	781
Reference areas		1988-92	0	0	0	5	5
	Pre-study period^a	1992/93	0	0	0	0	0
		1993/94	5	0	0	17	22
		1994/95	4	1	55	0	60
		1995/96	5	1	33	0	39
		1996/97	3	4	4	0	11
		Total	17	6	92	17	132
	Study period	1997/98	18	0	7	4	29
		1998/99	36	9	43	21	109
		1999/00	23	0	3	17	43
		2000/01^b	14	4	16	10	44
		2001/02	6	0	25	2	33
		Total	97	13	94	54	258

^a The pre-study period: September 1, 1992 to August 31, 1997
^bThe number of badgers removed in 2000/01 was low due to restrictions imposed following the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Ireland.

ISSN: 2046-0481