"Environmental groups often put forth the most cuddly, charismatic, and lovable species to win over the hearts of the public. Polar bears, for example, have become the emblem of global warming"
Yeah, about the "declining" polar bear population: Polar Bear Olympics
Had enough of the scum-shit environmentalists' lies yet, America? I have.
And here is something to ponder, something that the pro-corporate, pro-GMO paper omits:
"Sick bats' PR problem could prove to be deadly" by Beth Daley, Globe Staff | April 6, 2009
To a public raised on vampire movies, bats are loathsome, frightening creatures - blind, flying rodents that all carry rabies, suck human blood, and get impossibly tangled in long hair.
None of it is true. But scientists trying to drum up a public outcry - and government funding - to stop a mysterious illness ravaging bat populations from Vermont to Virginia believe these myths are thwarting their efforts. The researchers say they are learning a harsh truth about the public's desire to save animals: Cuteness rules.
Despairing bat biologists want to hire a publicist - a kind of public relations batman - to give bats an image makeover and educate people about the night creatures' ecological benefits. If they could get people to care even half as much as they do about polar bears, these researchers say, desperately needed dollars and attention may follow to save the misunderstood animals.
"We're talking about the need for a full-time publicist, and talks on CNN and David Letterman," said Tom Kunz, a Boston University bat researcher who wrote letters to Democratic US senators John Kerry and Edward Kennedy last month, pleading for help to get research dollars - and that was before he got word Massachusetts' largest known winter bat colony in Chester had plummeted from what was believed to be about 10,000 bats to 116 in the past two years.
He said researchers need to better monitor summer bat colonies and spend more time in labs investigating potential causes, but funds available for research are extremely low. "This devastating condition in bats is spreading . . . everyone in the bat world is pretty depressed."
Environmental groups often put forth the most cuddly, charismatic, and lovable species to win over the hearts of the public. Polar bears, for example, have become the emblem of global warming. Conservationists working to protect rainforests highlight the toucan. Studies show people tend to love baby animals that mimic human infants - big heads, large eyes, short noses.
"But bats look otherworldly," said David Stokes, a biologist at the University of Washington.
Less charismatic species can also make headlines, such as pollinating honeybees that are disappearing, if they have a direct economic impact on humans.
GMO CROP DESTRUCTION of BEES?
What was it Einstein said about bees? Without them, we have "no more than four years to live?" Thanks, GMOs!
Of course, scientists can't prove that dislike for bats - or even mere apathy - is the reason research funds aren't pouring in. But they can't help but feel it's an underlying reason.
There are other problems in getting the message across: The broad impact of the bat deaths is unknown. Biologists acknowledge they don't know whether the die-off is a symptom of a larger environmental problem. And while researchers say the creatures have an enormous appetite for mosquitoes and crop pests in the Northeast - and help with seed dispersal and pollination elsewhere - they don't know whether the disappearance of bats would make a noticeable difference to farmers and others.
The sickness, called white nose syndrome, because a white fuzzy fungus discolors many of the affected animals, is known to have spread to nine states, including Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Connecticut. It was discovered in a New York cave three years ago. Scientists estimate hundreds of thousands of bats have died.
Wildlife biologists are concerned the sickness will soon reach caves in the South and Midwest that hold millions more bats - including federally endangered ones - and they fear some species may go extinct. Scientists across the country have set aside other bat research and have honed in on the cold-loving fungus as a potential cause. For some reason, the bats are depleting fat reserves during hibernation and appear to be starving to death. That's why people may see the nocturnal animals flying around in daylight: They are desperately looking for food.
So far, federal and state agencies have allocated more than $1 million to study white nose, bat biologists estimate. Bat Conservation International and the National Speleological Society, along with some individuals, have also kicked in limited funds. But the total is hardly enough.
In comparison, more than $8 million was spent in 2007 to protect the bald eagle, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service. And more than $6 million was set aside for the federally endangered Indiana bat that year. But researchers say there are five species of bats affected by white nose, including the Indiana bat, and they suspect more bat species will be affected.
"We need big money - we need to know we can study this for the next three years, and right now I'm not sure where the next-year funding is coming from," said DeeAnn Reeder, assistant professor of biology at Bucknell University.
--more--"Well, at least they didn't blame global warming this time.
