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Fence voltages when using electric fences to exclude badgers
Journal
Crop
Protection - Volume
23, Issue 1 , January 2004, Pages 27-33
Authors
D. W. Poole , G. Western and I. G. McKillop from the
Central Science Laboratory at Sand Hutton, York and Winchester,
Hampshire
Abstract
The effects of increasing voltage and the use of different conducting
materials (steel-wire and polywire) on the efficacy of an electric fence to
exclude badgers were assessed in a field trial conducted in
the south-west of England. Fences were erected to prevent badgers feeding at
bait points to which they had previously had unrestricted access. The
effectiveness of both steel-wire and polywire fences maintained at 6kV was
compared with that of fences in which the voltage was increased, in 2kV
steps, from 0 to 6kV. Effectiveness was measured by comparing bait
consumption before and after fence erection. Behavioural observations were
conducted to determine how badgers reacted to the different fence types. Both
the steel-wire and polywire fences, maintained at 6kV throughout, proved
effective at excluding badgers (steel-wire 90%; polywire 89%). Unelectrified
fences (0kV) afforded virtually no protection at all. As the voltage was
stepped up there was a corresponding increase in the level of effectiveness. At
every voltage stage, the steel-wire fence appeared to be more effective than its polywire counterpart (0kV: steel-wire 4%, polywire 3%; 2kV:
steel-wire 68%, polywire 34%; 4kV: steel-wire 83%, polywire 56%;
6kV: steel-wire 95%, polywire 63%). The proportion of badgers observed to
cross the staged-voltage fences fell with increasing voltage. A smaller
proportion was observed to cross the steel-wire design. Most badgers crossed by
means of pushing between the upper wires. The results suggest that landowners
and occupiers considering the use of electric fencing to exclude badgers should,
whenever possible, use steel-wire in preference to polywire. Fence voltages
should not be allowed to fall below 4kV, particularly during the first few
weeks after erection, if effective management is to be achieved.
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