By Tom RandallJan. 31 (Bloomberg)
Thousands of bats are dying from an unknown illness in the northeastern U.S. at a rate that could cause extinction, New York state wildlife officials said.
At eight caves in New York and one in Vermont, scientists have seen bat populations plummet over two years. Most bats hibernate in the same cave every winter, keeping annual counts consistent. A cave that had 1,300 bats in January 2006 had 470 bats last year. It recently sheltered just 38.
At another cave, more than 90 percent of about 15,500 bats have died since 2005, and two-thirds that remain now sleep near the cave’s entrance, where conditions are less hospitable. Scientists don’t know what’s causing the deaths, and biologists wearing sanitary clothing and respirators to prevent the spread of disease are collecting the dead for testing as part of a state and U.S. effort.
“There are an awful lot of bat people, even a month ago before we had half of this bad news, all saying the same thing. We’ve never seen anything like it, and we’re all scared,” said Alan Hicks, the leader of the investigation for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, in a telephone interview today.
White Fungus
Some bats in the die-off have a white fungus encircling their noses. Most living bats now are underweight, too thin to make it through the winter, Hicks said. They choose their hibernating spots based on weight. Colder resting spots, like the ones near the entrance help energy reserves last longer. MUCH MORE
Interesting enough, in the same article that appears above, they placed a potential dollar amount on the rapid extinction of the American Honeybee and the financial impact to the American consumer - and it’s staggering!
A separate malady known as Colony Collapse Disorder has killed millions of bees in the U.S. and threatens $14.6 billion of U.S. crops, including almonds, apples, oranges and blueberries, which rely on bees for pollination, according to the U.S. Agriculture Department. It may cause $75 billion of economic damage if left unchecked, the agency said. (Emphasis added.)
The illness was identified after thousands of U.S. beekeepers found unusually large losses — 90 percent or more in some cases — beginning in 2006. Colony Collapse has been found in 35 U.S. states, one Canadian province, and parts of Asia, Europe and South America. Scientists haven’t identified the cause and believe it may be the result of several things in combination.
“You have a strong parallel with the bees in that we just don’t know what’s going on,” Hicks said.
Obviously, no one appears to have answers that offer any type of short or long-term hope, and if a breakthrough isn’t made soon, in regard the Birds, Bees and the Bats, our situation will progressively get worse. We are facing one of the most important Presidential races in modern history, and issues that affect the very survival of millions of Americans aren’t even being debated much less even known by the majority of the voters.
Because of a complicit and cowardly MSM, issues such as these have never been melded together to provide the “big picture” so voters would understand the dire circumstances we face, so instead of it receiving the press and scrutiny it should, it has become a non-issue because the mainstream news media, along with members of Congress, have decided to keep this “hot potato” out of the election debates hoping that it will be addressed by the next administration - in other words, politics as usual.
As we face this critical issue and seek answers, try to keep one factor in mind. If you have toddlers, or family members that have newborns or toddlers, ask yourselves this question; as the years pass, and it’s time to give your children that talk about the “Birds and the Bees” and these children are twelve to fifteen years old, at the rate the bee colonies are collapsing and the birds are dying, it’s extremely probable, in your own lifetime, to witness the end of the American honeybee, and birds may become so rare that most of the truly unique specimens will be in climate-controlled Zoos rather than available to sing outside your kitchen windows.
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