In Arizona’s Coconino Nationwide Forest, a singular battle is brewing between the Seven Canyons Golf Membership and an enormous herd of untamed javelina, also referred to as “skunk pigs.”
With the golf course serving because the battleground, the skunk pigs have been leaving a path of destruction of their wake for the previous six weeks, prompting the membership to seek for options.
These unassuming creatures have been something however peaceable throughout their annual fall rush.
Thirty to fifty javelina squadrons have descended upon the golf course, inflicting havoc as they graze and seek for meals of their drought-stricken setting.
This 12 months, their harmful tendencies have reached unprecedented ranges, requiring the membership to spend 45 to 50 hours every week repairing the harm.
Assistant Superintendent Em Casey’s video of the destruction rapidly went viral, garnering over 25 million views and sparking the net motion often known as #TeamJavelina.
Whereas the Arizona Alliance of Golf claims that golf programs make up solely 2% of Arizona’s each day water utilization, an investigation by the Arizona Republic discovered that golf programs within the state had been persistently exceeding their each day water limits.
The typical each day water use per golf course stands at about 450,000 gallons, which raises considerations about overdrawn assets. This overuse not solely impacts the supply of water from sources just like the Colorado River basin but additionally depletes groundwater sources important for the survival of endangered native fauna.
The javelina’s harmful habits may be attributed to their survival instincts amidst a extreme drought. They’ve been drawn to the golf course in the hunt for grazing greens and grubworms, disrupting the golfers’ paradise that was carved out of their pure habitat.
The drastic distinction in rainfall this 12 months, with lower than 2 inches within the Sedona space in comparison with the 18 inches seen final 12 months, has spurred the skunk pigs into motion.
The golf course administration has not been idle of their efforts to discourage the javelina. 5 years in the past, they tried utilizing granules of coyote urine to discourage the skunk pigs.
Nonetheless, this unconventional methodology appeared to have the alternative impact, because the javelina discovered the scent irresistible, inflicting them to run wild throughout the course, leaving their mark in every single place.
Of their ongoing battle to maintain the skunk pigs at bay, the golf course administration is now experimenting with one million Scoville-unit chili oil that may be sprayed over the turf with out harming it.
Whereas they’re cautious about getting the appropriate formulation to protect the grass, it stays a problem to discover a resolution that can deter the javelina with out inflicting hurt.
Signal this petition to cease the event of a golf course in South Carolina and save 1000’s of gallons of water!
What you are able to do
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This article by Trinity Sparke was first printed by One Inexperienced Planet on 31 October 2023. Picture Credit score :Dennis W Donohue/Shutterstock.
