WHITE NOSE SYNDROME – A Good Use of Taxpayers’ Funds?
With the news that the US congress has approved $1.9 million of taxpayers’ money for research into White Nose Syndrome, one has to wonder if this is simply another case of mistaken priorities made by those in power.
Suddenly, I don't feel sleepy.
For those who aren’t aware of this (very imaginatively named) condition, White Nose Syndrome has nothing to do with drugs, Columbia, or the 1980′s. The syndrome refers to a fungus which is vastly reducing bat populations across the northeastern states of America. The white fungus grows on the noses and wings of hibernating bats, keeping the furry critters from sleeping and in turn leaving them without energy to hunt.
While we all love Trivia, in this case the syndrome has a non-trivial (some might say devastating) ecological impact. Imagine cities plagued by mosquitoes, and crops infested with hoards of insects that would otherwise have been eaten by previously well-rested winged little wonders.
