"The Worst Wildlife Disease Outbreak in North American History"

originally posted by: Rosinitiate
You'll be pleased to know than, that although our area suffered from WNS and bats all but disappeared from the property for several years, they seem to be making a come back. Last year it was down to just one and this year I spotted two adults (one much larger) and two pups flying around the pond. They seem to prefer lightening bugs but do help out a bit with these other pests. Sure wish there were more of them. Maybe next year with any luck.

For reference: Northeast, Pa.

ETA: They come out at dusk same with the lightening bugs. The little one has an evening ritual of catching fireflies and setting them free. I'll bring out the Canon and try to catch a few shots.

That would be really cool

I'm sure many people here on ATS would love to see some pics.

Thanks for the update and uplifting story.


RT

originally posted by: schadenfreude
I'm not a vet or medical practitioner of any kind so this may seem like a silly question, however...

I know that bats rely heavily on radar, any chance the disease is connected to wifi signals?

No, it does not. The disease is actually found only in cave dwelling hibernating bats. There are two theories as to its origin. One, it is suspected to have been introduced by tourists to bat caves in NY around 2006 and spread through contact/migration and two, it has always been there but changes within the caves' climates have allowed to it flourish. In terms of the latter, the recent cool temperatures in the NE aren't going to help the bats there as it is a cold loving fungus.

The disease basically eats the flesh off of the bat, causing it to stay in the caves where it starves and the fungus can continue to reproduce. It's nasty as hell and probably extraordinarily painful. It has nothing to do with their radar but where they live.

Taino brings up the bees and I'll point this out--both these bats and bees lived in enclosed structures. In a way, they are like canaries in mines in my book.

a reply to: WhiteAlice

The disease is actually found only in cave dwelling hibernating bats.

oh that is good news for me ! I have never read that, although what I have read is focused on the cave dwellers.
So it makes sense.
I hope my barn bats can overcome this.

I live in Fairfield County Connecticut. For 4 years now I have not seen a single bat, before that you could go out at night and see a lot of them flying around, I also have a few bat houses and none of them have been occupied in years. Very sorry to see they are great for environment.

a reply to: pl3bscheese

Phytoplankton decrease is a biggie... and people don't get it.

I get a tad upset when ignorant folk say things like "why do we need plankton scum anyway? It messes up my pool and the ocean... etc."

Many people (esp in political power) don't seem to get that we are in a mostly closed system and it is quite conceivable that one day, when enough trees are cut or enough plankton dies from ph upset and pesticide pollution, that there won't be enough O2 to breathe... and that will be an empty, "told ya so."

a reply to: Baddogma

originally posted by: Baddogma
Phytoplankton decrease is a biggie... and people don't get it.

Indeed it is. Very serious.

Since you mentioned Phytoplankton and I just finished another thread on the rise of fungal diseases elsewhere, I was curious to see what connection might exist on those issues.

Here is what I found:

Phytoplankton chytridiomycosis: fungal parasites of phytoplankton and their imprints on the food web dynamics.

I think there is so much dynamic change happening, it's hard for people to get a sense of scale. If I hadn't spent the better part of a day researching the other thread, I would have remained in the dark too.

Dang! Maybe they can figure out a way to medicate the little guys with widespread fungicides in their habitats or somewhere. Or something. This is a horrible shame.

a reply to: loam

...it's hard for people to get a sense of scale. If I hadn't spent the better part of a day researching the other thread, I would have remained in the dark too.

Funny how that works, isn't it?

Been there. Done that.

I can't help but think this is all by design from our friendly neighborhood corporations looking to capitalize on an epidemic and agricultural catastrophe. Between the bees, and the bats dying off, the spraying of chemtrails releasing Barium, Aluminum and other metals into the atmosphere and environment, it floats down into the soil lowering the pH value, thus preventing plants & crops from flourishing. It just makes me think this is being done on purpose so plants can't grow nor get pollinated, and then farmers will have no choice but to rely on purchasing GM seeds to grow anything.

Hell, in China the government has hired workers to go around and pollinate every flower by hand with q-tips dabbed in pollen!

Then again, humans have only been here in the blink of an eye so this may be something that's always been around but just started to spread dramatically due to changes in climate. I really don't know just speculating, but it's a start.

Does Batman have it yet?

originally posted by: horseplay
a reply to: WhiteAlice

The disease is actually found only in cave dwelling hibernating bats.

oh that is good news for me ! I have never read that, although what I have read is focused on the cave dwellers.
So it makes sense.
I hope my barn bats can overcome this.

The microclimate of a barn v. a cave is really pretty radical. P. destructans, the fungi at the heart of WNS, is a cold loving fungus and the ambient temperatures of caves tend to be on the cool side. A barn, on the other hand, isn't the most well insulated structure on the planet so P. destructans isn't likely to flourish in there. Your barn bats should be okay and many thanks to you for caring for your batty neighbors' well-being.

a reply to: loam

Coincidence? Relationship? Spin?

BLAME BATS: First Ebola, now Marburg. Here’s why deadly viruses are on the rise in Africa

….Why do these viruses seem to be flaring up more often? While it’s not yet clear where the Ugandan patient contracted Marburg, in general, this is likely happening because, as mining and agricultural industry push further into tropical forests, humans are coming into contact with infected animals much more frequently. Several Marburg outbreaks, for instance, have begun by infecting miners.

Forests are home to what are called the viruses’ “reservoir hosts,” the animal populations that harbor a virus in between human outbreaks but are immune to its symptoms. While Marburg hides out in fruit bats, other similar viruses thrive in rodent populations.

No one knows for certain where Ebola lies low in between epidemics, which makes it hard to anticipate where future outbreaks will occur. However, some research suggests that, like Marburg, fruit bats also incubate Ebola.

Bats are excellent at this because they hang out in huge colonies, packed tightly into caves, which makes it easy for the virus to spread among them. And the more a virus leaps from host to host, the greater the chance for it to mutate into a form even deadlier to humans. Scientists suspect that primates or monkeys are first infected with the virus after eating fruit tainted with urine or other bat fluids. They then pass the virus on to humans.