英国和威尔士经历了自1836年有记录以来最干燥的7月，导致土壤干硬难以挖掘。[1]在此期间，獾因在干燥土地中寻食困难，大规模转向高尔夫球场挖掘草坪。[1]这一现象的出现与水资源管制政策密切相关——2600万人生活在禁止使用软管的限制下，但《用水（临时禁令）令2010》允许体育草皮在干旱期间获得浇水豁免。[1]正因为这项豁免权，高尔夫球场在干旱期间保持了相对湿润的土壤环境，反而成为了獾寻找食物的理想场所。
从苏福克郡到斯塔福德郡再到伍斯特郡的多个高尔夫球场均报告了草坪遭獾破坏的情况。[1]英国和国际高尔夫球场草坪管理协会首席执行官吉姆·克鲁克斯顿解释称："獾通常挖掘草皮来寻找食物，8月是甲虫幼虫通常出现的时期开始。"[1]这一季节性因素与干旱条件的叠加，使得獾对高尔夫球场的破坏程度加剧。
Britain's golf courses have become unexpected victims of the country's severe drought, as badgers increasingly excavate fairways and greens in search of food. The phenomenon stems from a combination of record-breaking dry conditions and the differential access to water across the landscape.[1]
July 2022 marked the driest month since records began in 1836 for England and Wales, with approximately 26 million people living under hosepipe bans that restrict water use for domestic purposes.[1] However, sports turf facilities, including golf courses, were granted exemptions under the Water (Temporary Restrictions) Order 2010, allowing them to continue irrigation during the crisis.[1] This disparity has created an unintended consequence: while surrounding countryside has hardened into parched earth, golf courses have remained lush and moist—making them attractive hunting grounds for hungry wildlife.
Badgers, which typically dig through soil to find food, have targeted these watered greens with particular intensity in August, the season when beetle larvae normally emerge.[1] Jim Crookston, chief executive of the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association, explained: "Badgers normally dig turf looking for food, and August is when beetle larvae typically appear."[1] The damage has been reported across multiple regions, from Suffolk through Staffordshire to Worcestershire, leaving golf course managers frustrated with the sudden surge in burrows and disrupted playing surfaces.[1]