Tiger's Vaccinator Could Aid Badger TB Fight

Tony Cholerton, a former motorcycle engineer and zookeeper, invented Robovacc to address the challenge of vaccinating timid animals. His creation successfully administered vaccinations to Cinta, a shy tiger at London Zoo, using a remote-controlled device, ensuring minimal stress for the animal. This innovative approach has since been refined into an automatic version called Autovacc.

The Autovacc machine holds potential for significant wildlife conservation efforts, particularly in managing bovine TB spread by badgers in the UK. Unlike current methods requiring lengthy animal confinement, Autovacc can vaccinate up to 20 badgers efficiently, with each animal detained for only a couple of minutes.

Cholerton envisions his affordable, mass-producible invention being utilized by scientists and farmers to demonstrate the efficacy of badger vaccination as a solution to bovine TB in cattle. While badger vaccination's direct impact on cattle TB rates is debated, the technology offers a humane alternative to culling and could be crucial in future pandemic preparedness.