Declining U.S. Bat Population
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2011-11-07/declining-us-bat-population
Bats have lived in North America since the dinosaur age. The only mammals capable of flying, these creatures are often misunderstood as aggressive, blood-sucking predators. But bats are critical to the ecology of the United States because of their appetite for eating insects and ability to pollinate flowers and plants. In the past four years, millions of bats have died from a skin disease called white-nose syndrome. First detected in New York, the disease has all but wiped out the bat population of the northeast and has quickly spread to sixteen states. Diane and guests discuss concerns over the declining U.S. bat population.
Guests
Cynthia Moss
professor, University of Maryland; director, auditory and neuroethology bat laboratory
Dan Ashe
director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior
Mylea Bayless
conservations programs manager, Bat Conservation International
David Blehert
microbiologist, U.S. Geological Survey's National Wildlife Health Center
Comments
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I know this discussion aired some time ago; but it's replaying as I write this.
Like others, I am distressed so much by the tragic and disastrous loss of bat populations. One potential remedy that comes to mind is introducing a very diffused mist of melaleuca (tea tree) oil in wintering habitats. The ecological impact seems like it may be small, while the possibility of deterring the extinction of such a critically necessary species may be worth a trial.
Has this concept perhaps been considered or attempted?
I just wanted to say that not all bats who are behaving strangely are necessarily sick or rabid. One summer day I walked out to my car and heard the screeching of a bat nearby. I walked around my car and saw a bat lying on its back in the parking lot, and i pushed itself underneath my car with its legs. I sadly went and told a hunter/employee that there was a sick bat in the parking lot. When he asked me where it was, i didn't want to tell him because I knew he would kill it. I watched him get a shovel and start walking around the parking lot, listening for it's shriek. When he zeroed in on my car, I turned away because I couldn't bear to watch him kill it. When I looked out the window a minute later, he was carrying the bat on the shovel, took it over to a tree, and gently placed it in the shade. I asked him why he didn't kill it. "It was just disoriented by the bright sunlight", he said.