(AP) 

[Hominatrix53]

Runingralph:
Mutated frogs are on the uprise due to pollution.

"...So far scientists have seen frogs with extra legs in 43 different US states and all over Canada.
And they warn it could be a massive environmental problem for humans and wildlife if something isn''t done."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/sci_tech/newsid_2117000/2117263.stm

Scientists don''t know yet what is happening to the bees, but they''re responsible for the pollination of about 1/3 of our food sources. the possibility of losing 1/3 of our food sources would tend to be a problem, don''t you agree?

And now thousands of bats are dying from an unknown illness. I don''t know anymore than you do about these dying bats, except perhaps that masses of unexplained deaths in ANY species should be cause for alarm. If they don''t get it figured out, it could infect other animals.

We have introduced thousands of different chemicals into our environment. Some of them are dangerous. Unfortunately, we tend to wait until AFTER people die before we do anything about it. Masses of dying animals should be a huge red flag. Should we just ignore it and wait until other animals or people start dying?

Was your post intended to start a fight? Get up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, maybe?

[Netterz]

I would not be suprised if alot of these diseases are brought in purposefully. Can only find so many suicide bombers, so why not? Nature has a critical impact on whether we live or die. First they send over viruses that blood suckers can distribute rapidly, with no possible way of stopping the insects. Then start introducing viruses that kill off what feeds on them, as well as bees, which are vital to keeping plant life alive. Slow death....why thy sit by and laugh. WMD?? sure....works better and naturally, undetectably, as a nuclear bomb, just takes alot longer..

[bleem3]

Those poor bats. Few realize their importance. Many are dismally ignorant of the vital role they play not only in the New World, but also in the Old World in terms of pollination, seed dispersal, and insect control. Even the vampire bat plays a good role, and researchers are using a compound discovered in their saliva to help stroke victims. Please do not hate bats due to ignorance. And please do not forget that in the photos you see of bats, they are taken from very close up. Most New World bats are smaller than your thumb. And if you took a picture of a cat''s ear or a puppy''s eyes that close up, they would likewise appear scary and distorted. Bats are not the horrible, ugly creatures as too often portrayed.

[sgtrds]

If these bats have suspiciously white noses then I propose renaming them "Bush''s Bats" in honor of the coke addict in the White House.

[olebd]

I hope these bats are not "hanging out" with the movie stars. This sounds alot like drug abuse. Cocaine, maybe?

Posted by uradufuss at 08:34 PM : Jan 30, 2008

The Eagles warned about Life in the Fast Lane back in the 70''s. These bats should have listened. No wonder they are so shaky.

[runningralph]

missilex,
I guess 3 billion conservatives. Your guess would be closer if everyone were liberals.

[xmissile]

I wonder how many people this world could sustain harmonioulsy given our current standard of living. An educated guess is 100 million worldwide. Anyone want to venture their opinion on this?

[raised4952]

maybe saddam got us before we got him with his weapons of mass destrution and its taking out the smaller things before eventually taking out the larger ones

[be_thechange]

Two unrelated thoughts...
Bats are important to humans in their consumption of mosquitos, which carry not only West Nile but new Dengue-type fevers recently discovered. The reduction of bats will mean we humans need to be sure we don''t leave stagnant water lying about out yards in garden pots, tires, wheelbarrows, etc. when the weather warms.

The other thought is that as we have vastly increased our imports from Asia and other Third World nations we have seen many natural species suffering unidentified diseases (bees, frogs, etc.) I''m not a biologist, but it is possible we have been importing these disease bearing organisms that have blossomed in a new climate/environment. The plague came from imported rats from Asia. It''s possible. Just a thought.

[denn034]

Here''s hoping those bats make it.