White nose syndrome
I don't know if anyone else has been fallowing this. There is a new disease that is killing off bats in record numbers. The mortality rate for WNS seems to be around 95%. Entire caves in Europe have been wiped out, even a few with 100 or more bats in them. Like many animals bats are huge part of our eco-system. So a large drop in bat population could have negative effects far and wide.
As a matter of fact WNS already is. Many farmers over the world depend on bats as natural pest control. WNS hit Europe so hard that the agricultural industry there is on track to a 5 billion dollar or more profit loss. Due to farmers being forced to buy pesticide and crops that where lost due to insect infestation in the areas hardest hit.
I'm just hoping that this does not start spreading to states like Colorado. Given the fact that farmers are already fighting a drought, this could be a one-two punch.
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