A shy tiger at the London Zoo inadvertently sparked an innovation in veterinary medicine: a robotic vaccination system. The challenge? Cinta, the tiger, refused to cooperate with keepers during routine health checks.
Robotic Precision: New Tech Aims to Revolutionize Wildlife Vaccinations
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A zookeeper’s inventive solution to a tiger’s timidity could offer a humane and efficient way to protect vulnerable animal populations from disease.
- Tony Cholerton, a former zookeeper and motorcycle engineer, developed the “Robovacc” to administer vaccinations without direct human contact.
- The automated system, dubbed “Autovacc,” aims to vaccinate up to 20 badgers with minimal stress and detention time.
- While promising, experts caution that badger vaccination alone won’t eradicate bovine tuberculosis in cattle.
- The technology has already been successfully used on lions and Diana monkeys at the London Zoo.
What if vaccinating wildlife didn’t require stressful captures and close encounters? Cholerton’s invention offers a potential answer, beginning with a remote-controlled device successfully used on Cinta in a feeding area. The tiger barely reacted as the needle delivered the vaccine, calmly continuing her meal.
From Tigers to Badgers: Expanding the Robotic Reach
Cholerton, who retired from the London Zoo in late 2025 after 30 years of service, envisions a broader application for his technology, particularly in addressing the complex issue of bovine tuberculosis (TB) in cattle and the role of badgers. For over a decade, badgers have been the subject of controversial culling efforts in England, even as wildlife organizations advocate for vaccination as a more humane alternative. However, the primary source of bovine TB remains other cattle.
The Autovacc system is designed to administer vaccinations to a colony of up to 20 badgers without human intervention, detaining each animal for only a minute or two. “The dream is to see it used by scientists and farmers,” Cholerton stated. “This is about giving the scientists the means to show that the science is correct, and badger vaccination works. The farmers win because they have a means to solve the TB problem in cattle. Everyone wins.”
How Autovacc Works: A Tunnel of Tech
Following the success of the initial “Robovacc” prototype, veterinarians at the London Zoo utilized similar machines to vaccinate lions and Diana monkeys. Cholerton discovered the technology was most effective on carnivores, who exhibited greater tolerance to the injection compared to primates, who remembered the experience and avoided the device.
The fully automated Autovacc utilizes three sensors to pinpoint the muscular rear end of an animal. Animals are lured into a Perspex tunnel with food, and a smart system prevents repeat vaccinations. Once vaccinated, animals are briefly sprayed with nanoparticles that activate sensors, opening a door to a separate tunnel section. If an animal hasn’t been vaccinated, another door opens, briefly restricting movement to allow for injection.
Safety is paramount: the system incorporates multiple mechanisms to prevent needle bending or retention. After injection, doors open, releasing the animal. The badger-specific machine has been tested on ring-tailed coatis, which share a similar tunnel-entering behavior with badgers.
Cholerton hopes to collaborate with conservation scientists, wildlife charities, and farmers to trial the Autovacc machine. “This has got to be a collaboration,” he emphasized. “The more interest the better. It would just be nice to see it being used with wild animals and undertaking vaccinations in a way that isn’t too invasive.”
Rosie Wood, chair of the Badger Trust, acknowledged the potential benefits of stress-free vaccination for captive wild species. “There are many possible future applications for the technology – most I suspect are ones we haven’t thought of yet but might be the next zoonotic pandemic, so investment in it should be taken seriously,” she said.
However, Wood cautioned that vaccinating badgers alone won’t solve the bovine TB problem in cattle. “Even Defra now concedes it is not possible to prove any measurable impact on bovine TB rates in cattle as a result of badger culling – and as killing them isn’t working, vaccinating them won’t either,” she added.
