« Donkey Kong Jenga | Home | Shark Socks »
Vampire Bats Are Deadly – Helloooooo Nightmares
By nikkita | August 10, 2008
As a kid I always assumed that vampire bats were a huge threat considering they were, you know, vampire bats. Zoo books, Saturday morning television and all of my teachers tried to tell me otherwise, yet here we are years later and I am STILL right. While Vampire bats are known for sucking the blood of cows, some countries in South America are finding that these critters have got a lethal taste for humans.
At least 38 Warao Indians have died in remote villages in Venezuela, and medical experts suspect an outbreak of rabies spread by bites from vampire bats. [...]
Outbreaks of rabies spread by vampire bats are a problem in various tropical areas of South America, including Brazil and Peru, Rupprecht said.
He said researchers suspect that in some cases environmental degradation — including mining, logging or dam construction projects — may also be contributing to rabies outbreaks.
“Vampire bats are very adaptable,” Rupprecht said. And when their roosts are disrupted or their normal prey grow scarce, “Homo sapiens is a pretty easy meal.”
Logging Etc.: Seriously, cut it the fuck out already.
[Neatorama via AssociatedPress]
Topics: Environment, World | No Comments »
Comments
You must be logged in to post a comment.