All mammals are sensitive to capsaicin. It’s pungent and makes your mouth burn. As far as a deterrent, it actually sounds like it will be pretty effective.
All mammals are sensitive to capsaicin. It’s pungent and makes your mouth burn. As far as a deterrent, it actually sounds like it will be pretty effective.
It is pretty effective. Cayenne pepper is sometimes* recommended for gardeners to deter small mammals like squirrels, groundhogs, etc. *I say sometimes, because there's a debate about whether it's...
It is pretty effective.
Cayenne pepper is sometimes* recommended for gardeners to deter small mammals like squirrels, groundhogs, etc. *I say sometimes, because there's a debate about whether it's humane, since it can cause eye irritation and the better option would be to build physical barriers.
I've used cayenne powder to excellent effect as a deterrent in my vegetable garden (I wasn't in the position to build a full garden enclosure, and my rationale was it seemed like a better choice than alternatives, plus there was lots of wild food around so the offending animals weren't going to starve by avoiding my garden).
I’ve watched javelina eat prickly pear cactus, spines and glochids included, without even the slightest hesitation. I’ve watched one jump off a second floor balcony, bounce off a granite boulder,...
I’ve watched javelina eat prickly pear cactus, spines and glochids included, without even the slightest hesitation. I’ve watched one jump off a second floor balcony, bounce off a granite boulder, and then seem to be completely unaffected. They’re tough critters.
Agreed the chili oil is a dumb move. I also think golf courses are dumb everywhere, but especially in the desert. I’m rooting (heh) for the javelina.
Plus when they sleep, they sleep in little piles with the babies on top.
I wish that the solution would be "Yeah, let's close the golf course!" instead of "Open season on the pigs." I mean, it's one thing to see the damage and go "damn, this sucks" but it's a whole...
If anyone has a contact in AZ state govt that can help us find a solution please pass it along.
I wish that the solution would be "Yeah, let's close the golf course!" instead of "Open season on the pigs."
I mean, it's one thing to see the damage and go "damn, this sucks" but it's a whole 'nother thing to see the damage and say "I gotta get the government to kill these pigs so the owners can make stupid amounts of money."
Yeah, me too. Far too many of these golf course/elder communities where old people get to live in their little walled gardens and fuck off for 8 months out of the year. Go little piggies indeed.
Yeah, me too. Far too many of these golf course/elder communities where old people get to live in their little walled gardens and fuck off for 8 months out of the year. Go little piggies indeed.
Imagine believing your luxury golf course is important enough for this.... god damn, it's really hard to be compassionate toward people sometimes. I hope there will be people who solve this by...
Imagine believing your luxury golf course is important enough for this.... god damn, it's really hard to be compassionate toward people sometimes. I hope there will be people who solve this by relocating the animals or just protecting other nearby food sources for them.
Yes, maybe we can relocate these pigs to their native lands where there's enough water to support their lifestyle. Look, I like golf as much as anybody but there are some places it's just not...
Yes, maybe we can relocate these pigs to their native lands where there's enough water to support their lifestyle. Look, I like golf as much as anybody but there are some places it's just not meant to be played...at least not with perfect, green grass.
The thing is, out my way at least, they want to keep grass alive on landfills anyway to pevent soil erosion. Keeping the grasses kept short makes it easier to see/collect if there is blowoff...
The thing is, out my way at least, they want to keep grass alive on landfills anyway to pevent soil erosion.
Keeping the grasses kept short makes it easier to see/collect if there is blowoff litter from the nearby active parts of the landfill.
The way I'm reading this, the desired solution from the state isn't "cull the herd": Could be a case of "oh, we would, but it's illegal", but I'm not convinced. Unless there's stuff in the linked...
The way I'm reading this, the desired solution from the state isn't "cull the herd":
Casey asked for ideas on how to stop the peccaries returning and wrecking the idyllic track
Suggestions from responders around culling the pig-like creatures or setting traps were dismissed by Casey as the animals are protected in the state of Arizona, while hunting season is only between January and February “when [peccaries] are less of a problem.”
Could be a case of "oh, we would, but it's illegal", but I'm not convinced.
Unless there's stuff in the linked tweets that twitter won't let me access...
Wow, this article is really trying to make people think javelinas are big and scary: Javelinas are nowhere close to the stature of wild boars. They are smaller than pot-belly pigs! Javelina: 45–90...
Wow, this article is really trying to make people think javelinas are big and scary:
And in Seven Canyons’ case, the herbivore - similar in stature and appearance to a wild boar...
Javelinas are nowhere close to the stature of wild boars. They are smaller than pot-belly pigs!
The javelinas that did this damage were almost certainly females with babies (only females and babies live in groups large enough to do damage like this), and they are even smaller than Charlie.
From what I understand, they release the scent voluntarily — often when they are distressed, like a skunk. When I met Charlie, he was not at all distressed (on the contrary, he was begging for...
From what I understand, they release the scent voluntarily — often when they are distressed, like a skunk.
I would like to add a caveat to your statement. Wild javelinas can be extremely territorial, particularly when babies are nearby, and their tusks and determination can certainly make them scary....
I would like to add a caveat to your statement. Wild javelinas can be extremely territorial, particularly when babies are nearby, and their tusks and determination can certainly make them scary. And, though I’m sure it doesn’t need to be said, practice caution and keep your distance if you see javelinas in the wild, they won’t like belly rubs as much as Charlie did!
However, they deserve the right to live in their natural environment and exercise those natural behaviors. I’m all for returning this golf course to nature.
True. Any animal can be aggressive and do real injury to someone. Charlie was rescued and raised by humans, then later released into a national park to continue being cared for by the rangers...
True. Any animal can be aggressive and do real injury to someone. Charlie was rescued and raised by humans, then later released into a national park to continue being cared for by the rangers working there, so he was OK—but I would not generally recommend approaching any wild animal (not even something small, like a squirrel).
However, wild boars are much larger and more dangerous, particularly wild boars in the US—which are an extremely destructive invasive species and often have a lot of feral pig ancestry, causing them to reach enormous sizes. It is disingenuous for this article to claim that javelinas are "similar in stature" to wild boars, and I suspect they added this for fearmongering purposes (to try to drum up support for killing these native animals because Americans, very understandably, have a great hatred toward wild boars).
Hell, I'll do you one better, as I had the same thought and looked it up too: In central Europe, boars can grow to 200kg (more than 400 pounds). Apparently, they grow even bigger in northern...
Hell, I'll do you one better, as I had the same thought and looked it up too:
In central Europe, boars can grow to 200kg (more than 400 pounds). Apparently, they grow even bigger in northern Russia. Though these figures are probably outliers.
They are the only animals with a nonnegligible presence in our woods that I would actually consider a potential threat. Though they're not very active at day, and it's still rare to run into one. But you see traces of their foraging often enough. (The other animal - with negligible presence - being wolves.)
They do not compare to these cute mischievous piglets.
There's an old defunct golf course in northern Tucson, AZ which is being designated a nature preserve or something similar. It's pretty neat seeing nature reclaim it slowly. The only part...
There's an old defunct golf course in northern Tucson, AZ which is being designated a nature preserve or something similar. It's pretty neat seeing nature reclaim it slowly. The only part maintained is the golf cart path which is now used as a walking and biking path through the desert for exercise and nature walks.
I'm completely ignorant of the experience of golf (by choice), but I wonder how necessary grass really is, maybe the right kind of sand would be good to play on. It would sure solve a lot of...
I'm completely ignorant of the experience of golf (by choice), but I wonder how necessary grass really is, maybe the right kind of sand would be good to play on. It would sure solve a lot of problems if we could find desert areas full of soft gypsum sand or something, that don't support vital carbon sinks and dense ecosystems, and stick all the golf courses there without having to water them.
Of course the playing experience is number one thousand on my list of priorities, but if political will isn't there to just ban this kind of water waste I might as well suggest creative workarounds.
I found this grass-free course in South Australia but it's more of a gimmick, and reviews mention the danger of damaging clubs off the hard ground if you're not careful, hence my suggestion of soft gypsum sand.
All mammals are sensitive to capsaicin. It’s pungent and makes your mouth burn. As far as a deterrent, it actually sounds like it will be pretty effective.
It is pretty effective.
Cayenne pepper is sometimes* recommended for gardeners to deter small mammals like squirrels, groundhogs, etc. *I say sometimes, because there's a debate about whether it's humane, since it can cause eye irritation and the better option would be to build physical barriers.
I've used cayenne powder to excellent effect as a deterrent in my vegetable garden (I wasn't in the position to build a full garden enclosure, and my rationale was it seemed like a better choice than alternatives, plus there was lots of wild food around so the offending animals weren't going to starve by avoiding my garden).
I’ve watched javelina eat prickly pear cactus, spines and glochids included, without even the slightest hesitation. I’ve watched one jump off a second floor balcony, bounce off a granite boulder, and then seem to be completely unaffected. They’re tough critters.
Agreed the chili oil is a dumb move. I also think golf courses are dumb everywhere, but especially in the desert. I’m rooting (heh) for the javelina.
Plus when they sleep, they sleep in little piles with the babies on top.
Unintentionally true I guess, since the javelina invasion is part of the process of returning the land to equilibrium
I wish that the solution would be "Yeah, let's close the golf course!" instead of "Open season on the pigs."
I mean, it's one thing to see the damage and go "damn, this sucks" but it's a whole 'nother thing to see the damage and say "I gotta get the government to kill these pigs so the owners can make stupid amounts of money."
All I can say is "go little piggies, good luck."
Yeah, me too. Far too many of these golf course/elder communities where old people get to live in their little walled gardens and fuck off for 8 months out of the year. Go little piggies indeed.
Imagine believing your luxury golf course is important enough for this.... god damn, it's really hard to be compassionate toward people sometimes. I hope there will be people who solve this by relocating the animals or just protecting other nearby food sources for them.
Yes, maybe we can relocate these pigs to their native lands where there's enough water to support their lifestyle. Look, I like golf as much as anybody but there are some places it's just not meant to be played...at least not with perfect, green grass.
There's a simple fix: Golf can only be played on landfills.
That doesn't fix the water issue.
The thing is, out my way at least, they want to keep grass alive on landfills anyway to pevent soil erosion.
Keeping the grasses kept short makes it easier to see/collect if there is blowoff litter from the nearby active parts of the landfill.
The way I'm reading this, the desired solution from the state isn't "cull the herd":
Could be a case of "oh, we would, but it's illegal", but I'm not convinced.
Unless there's stuff in the linked tweets that twitter won't let me access...
Wow, this article is really trying to make people think javelinas are big and scary:
Javelinas are nowhere close to the stature of wild boars. They are smaller than pot-belly pigs!
To give you an idea of how big and scary javelinas are, this is Charlie, a full-grown male javelina from Costa Rica.
The javelinas that did this damage were almost certainly females with babies (only females and babies live in groups large enough to do damage like this), and they are even smaller than Charlie.
Charlie is pretty cute. But I know javelina's can have a strong smell, so I'll enjoy Charlie from the comfortable distance of this photo.
From what I understand, they release the scent voluntarily — often when they are distressed, like a skunk.
When I met Charlie, he was not at all distressed (on the contrary, he was begging for belly rubs, which we were happy to oblige) and did not have any noticeable smell.
I would like to add a caveat to your statement. Wild javelinas can be extremely territorial, particularly when babies are nearby, and their tusks and determination can certainly make them scary. And, though I’m sure it doesn’t need to be said, practice caution and keep your distance if you see javelinas in the wild, they won’t like belly rubs as much as Charlie did!
However, they deserve the right to live in their natural environment and exercise those natural behaviors. I’m all for returning this golf course to nature.
True. Any animal can be aggressive and do real injury to someone. Charlie was rescued and raised by humans, then later released into a national park to continue being cared for by the rangers working there, so he was OK—but I would not generally recommend approaching any wild animal (not even something small, like a squirrel).
However, wild boars are much larger and more dangerous, particularly wild boars in the US—which are an extremely destructive invasive species and often have a lot of feral pig ancestry, causing them to reach enormous sizes. It is disingenuous for this article to claim that javelinas are "similar in stature" to wild boars, and I suspect they added this for fearmongering purposes (to try to drum up support for killing these native animals because Americans, very understandably, have a great hatred toward wild boars).
Hell, I'll do you one better, as I had the same thought and looked it up too:
In central Europe, boars can grow to 200kg (more than 400 pounds). Apparently, they grow even bigger in northern Russia. Though these figures are probably outliers.
They are the only animals with a nonnegligible presence in our woods that I would actually consider a potential threat. Though they're not very active at day, and it's still rare to run into one. But you see traces of their foraging often enough. (The other animal - with negligible presence - being wolves.)
They do not compare to these cute mischievous piglets.
If we won't reclaim golf courses and put them to better use, then I'm glad nature is doing so in our stead.
There's an old defunct golf course in northern Tucson, AZ which is being designated a nature preserve or something similar. It's pretty neat seeing nature reclaim it slowly. The only part maintained is the golf cart path which is now used as a walking and biking path through the desert for exercise and nature walks.
I recommend checking out the website the town has for it. It is very much a work in progress still but it looks promising.
Heyyyyyy, I know this guy. What're you doing in my internet?
Edit: Thanks for the link.
I'm completely ignorant of the experience of golf (by choice), but I wonder how necessary grass really is, maybe the right kind of sand would be good to play on. It would sure solve a lot of problems if we could find desert areas full of soft gypsum sand or something, that don't support vital carbon sinks and dense ecosystems, and stick all the golf courses there without having to water them.
Of course the playing experience is number one thousand on my list of priorities, but if political will isn't there to just ban this kind of water waste I might as well suggest creative workarounds.
I found this grass-free course in South Australia but it's more of a gimmick, and reviews mention the danger of damaging clubs off the hard ground if you're not careful, hence my suggestion of soft gypsum sand.
Arizona is west-coast Florida.