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Post by jonsdigs on Jul 1, 2007 21:34:05 GMT -5
Bat-borne virus' name offends Malaysian stateThe Associated Press Published: July 1, 2007 KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: The Malaysian state of Melaka is upset that scientists have named a new bat-borne virus after it, news reports said Sunday. Australian and Malaysian scientists announced last week they discovered a new virus likely carried by bats that can cause respiratory illness in humans. They called it the Melaka Virus, using the name of the southern Malaysian state where the virus was isolated in early 2006 in a human patient. Chief Minister Ali Rustam said Saturday the state does not want to be associated with the virus and called the name choice "an insult" to Melaka, which is a popular tourist destination because of its historical sites. "Melaka is a good state, beautiful and peaceful, not the birthplace of diseases," The Star daily quoted him as saying. Full Story
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Post by jonsdigs on May 17, 2007 19:46:08 GMT -5
Rabies Found in Wyoming School's Pet BatCasper Star-Tribune Thursday, May 17, 2007 RIVERTON, Wyo. - Catching a bat in a school basement and keeping it as a classroom pet is a great way to learn about rabies. Two staff members at Trinity Lutheran School are getting a weekslong series of rabies shots after a bat kept in a locked terrarium tested positive for the disease. On May 9, seventh- and eighth-grade teacher Steve Coniglio used a stick and a bucket to capture the bat, which died two days later. The bat had been displayed in classrooms and students gave it crickets, but Susan Tucker, head teacher at the central Wyoming school, said Coniglio made sure students did not handle the animal. State and county health officials on Tuesday interviewed all 95 staff members and students at the school and decided that Coniglio and a teaching assistant who cleaned the cage after the bat died needed to be treated as a precaution, said Marty Stensaas, manager for Fremont County Public Health Nursing. Vaccine was also available in case parents wanted their children to get the roughly $3,500 series of shots. Rabies is a viral disease most often transmitted through the bite of an infected animal. It attacks the central nervous system and, if untreated, can lead to anxiety, confusion, paralysis, hypersalivation, difficulty swallowing and fear of water. Death usually occurs within a week after symptoms begin. The disease has been discovered in skunks, raccoons and a horse in Fremont County over the past few years. Article
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Post by jonsdigs on Apr 20, 2007 8:01:00 GMT -5
What is the effect of the insecticide on the bats? Is it cumulative in bat tissues?
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Post by jonsdigs on Apr 12, 2007 22:38:15 GMT -5
Spencer house infested with bats4/11/2007 7:58 AM By: Aaron Mesmer, News 14 Carolina Tracy Scheve says she was never told about the infestation by the previous homeowner and she is considering legal action.
SPENCER, N.C. -- A Rowan County family is trying to get rid of some unexpected guests. The family recently bought a house in Spencer only to find out there were hundreds of bats living in the attic. "We've seen upwards of 200 to 300 bats exiting the structure at night," said John Deal, of Animal Capture and Exclusion Services. Tracy Scheve bought the home as-is in November and says she did not know it was infested until last week. Because of health concerns, she and her three children evacuated. John Deal, of Animal Capture and Exclusion Services, says about 200 to 300 bats were seen leaving the home at night. "To me, it's worse than a fire because we drive by here and there's visual and we just can't access any of the area,” she said. “So we're just doing what needs to be done right now just to survive." Animal Capture and Exclusion Services says the bats had been living in the home for about 30 years. It's going to cost Scheve about $22,000 to keep them out. Scheve says she was never told about the infestation by the previous homeowner and she is considering legal action. VideoArticle
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Post by jonsdigs on Apr 12, 2007 14:37:12 GMT -5
Hill Country bats a first line of defense against Coastal Bend mosquitoesKrisTV (Corpus Christy, TX) April 12, 2007 12:20 PM Bats the first line of defense against West NileCONCAN, Texas. - In a cave 200 miles north of Corpus Christi live over 2 million tiny warriors in the battle against the West Nile Virus. Every night swarms of Mexican free tailed bats leave their caves and travel to the Coastal Bend for their evening hunt. A local conversation group has been tracking these bats to learn where the mosquito hot spots are in the Coastal Bend. They track these bats much the same way meteorologists track rain. When the bats return to their caves in Hill County members of the Frio Nature Conservancy study the bats' guano to determine if the mosquitoes they ate were carriers of West Nile. KRIS 6 News' Alex Stivers went along as the team checked on bats deep inside the Frio Cave. Tonight on 6 News at 6 & 10, see how their research will help local communities learn where the mosquito hotspots are, and what can be done to help prevent an outbreak of West Nile Virus this summer. Article
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Post by jonsdigs on Mar 14, 2007 12:13:58 GMT -5
Tiny bat key to survival for two other speciesWhangarei Leader (NZ) Tuesday, 13 March 2007 BIZARRE BAT: The northern lesser short-tailed bat feeds off the ground and supports a rare parasitic plant and blind fly. J.L KENDRICK /Whangarei Leader Mystery surrounds the lesser short-tailed bat, found in selected sites in Northland.The native mammal is nationally endangered but it is unknown exactly how many there are in Northland, says Conservation Department biodiversity ranger Bryce Lummis. New Zealand has three bat species - the greater short-tailed bat, which is thought to be extinct, the lesser short-tailed bat and the long-tailed bat. The lesser short-tailed bat (Mystacinidae tuberculata) is an ancient species unique to New Zealand and is the only known surviving member of the Mystacinidae family. Mr Lummis says the lesser short-tailed bat needs protecting because it supports a rare plant and a unique fly. It is the main pollinator of dactylanthus woodrose, a rare parasitic plant that grows on the roots of trees. The bat also has a unique relationship with a blind, wingless fly, which stays on the bat and lives off its droppings, he says. The unusual fly is only found on the short-tailed bat and is also threatened. "Here we have three species, all threatened, all related to each other," Mr Lummis says. The lesser short-tailed bat has a number of other interesting characteristics. It is one of the few bats in the world that spends a lot of time on the forest floor, doing most of their feeding on the ground. "They crawl on the ground and do short flying skips on the ground," says Mr Lummis. That makes the bats vulnerable to rats and other predators, he says. The nocturnal bat eats insects and fruit and nests in tree hollows. Full Article
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Post by jonsdigs on Mar 14, 2007 11:55:54 GMT -5
At first I thought it might be a typo on the author's name but for the wrong reason. LOUSIE HOSIE is their typo; Louise Hosie is a regular contributor to the Scotsman. Not our Louise H. though.
Good article anyway. Maybe it can provide a solution or at least lessen the damage.
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Post by jonsdigs on Mar 9, 2007 12:01:58 GMT -5
Roosting bats will find places to park near A1...08 March 2007 Yorkshire Evening ECOLOGISTS have teamed up with the Highways Agency to provide a habitat for roosting bats along the soon-to-be-improved A1 route between Bramham and Wetherby. A total of 42 bat boxes will be installed over the next few weeks along the 10km stretch. At four metres above ground, each box is made from wood crete, a hard-wearing material that will provide a safe roosting area for bats for years to come. Ecologists have carefully selected a number of sites well away from the road and located in suitable habitat where bats are known to be present. Several different designs of bat boxes are being installed to cater for a wide range of bat species. The Highways Agency, which operates motorways and trunk roads in England, will monitor the boxes. Article
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Post by jonsdigs on Mar 9, 2007 11:48:32 GMT -5
The Bats Are Back from Vacation in MexicoLast Update: Mar 9, 2007 10:42 AM Posted By: Selena Garza Just like birds migrate south for the winter, so do the Mexican long-nosed bats. These are the bats that are common to South Texas. Because we had such a mild winter, some of the bats stayed and did not make the trek southward to Mexico. The ones that left are coming back right on schedule and returning this month. The southward migration usually starts in October. The Mexican Long-nosed Bat is a relatively large bat compared with most U.S. bat species. It measures about 2.75 to 3.75 inches in total length, can be dark gray to "sooty" brown in color, and has a long muzzle with a prominent nose leaf at the tip. Its long tongue, an adaptation for feeding on flower nectar, can be extended up to three inches and has hair-like papillae on its tip. It has a minute tail that may appear to be lacking. Although movement patterns are not well known, Mexican Long-nosed Bats are thought to move from central Mexico into northern Mexico each year, with part of the population crossing the border into Texas and New Mexico. The colony of bats at Big Bend occupies their northern roosts from June through August, after which they move south to winter in central Mexico. Full Article
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Post by jonsdigs on Feb 27, 2007 20:57:54 GMT -5
Students Still See Bats in La. SchoolTuesday, February 27, 2007 02-27) 14:08 PST Metairie, La. (AP) -- Students at East Jefferson High School say they see bats in the school even though school officials and an exterminator say they've been moved out. "One fell from the ceiling in my chemistry class," Sarah Jones said. Last week, officials said the bats had been contained to three second-story storage rooms and were never in contact with students. They said that as of Friday bat control experts had caught and released the last of the bats, estimated at nearly 1,000. School system spokesman Jeff Nowakowski said he would investigate the students' claims. He said he was told by experts from Acadian Rodent & Animal Control that the problem had been solved. Assistant Principal Maureen Bayhi said students seemed to be exaggerating the problem. "Our students love rumors," she said. "And they tend to overreact and blow things out of proportion." Only once did bats get out of the storage room area, and they were quickly contained, she said. Article
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Post by jonsdigs on Feb 24, 2007 14:48:07 GMT -5
1,000 bats found home at East JeffThey roosted in storage rooms, had no contact with studentsSaturday, February 24, 2007 The Times-Picayune By Barri Bronston Jefferson Parish school officials have been going batty for the past two weeks, thanks to an infestation of the flying mammals at East Jefferson High School in Metairie. An estimated 1,000 brown bats, each about the size of a human palm, were roosting in three second-story storage rooms when bat control expert Fritz Borden of Acadian Rodent & Animal Control was summoned to the school earlier this month. "We've been working on this for two weeks," Borden said Friday. "We had to find the entry point, then build an exclusion door so they could get out but not back in. Once we got them out, we were then able to seal the entry point." Jeff Nowakowski, spokesman for the Jefferson Parish public school system, said the storage space where the bats were found had no access to classrooms. "As soon as we found out about it we got an expert in to take care of the issue, and there was no fear of contact between animals and the kids," he said. School Board member Martin Marino, whose district includes East Jefferson, said he learned about the problem from an East Jefferson teacher just before Mardi Gras. He said it isn't the first time a school in his district has had an infestation of bats. In recent years, Marino said, bats have been an issue at Bridgedale Elementary School and T.H. Harris Middle School, which like East Jefferson are in the 6th District, an area bounded by Airline Drive, Causeway Boulevard, Veterans Memorial Boulevard and David Drive. "We had to take a whole wall out at Bridgedale a few years ago to get them out," Marino said. "They seem to travel up and down West Metairie Avenue. They must really like my district." At East Jefferson, ceiling tiles had to be removed to make sure all the bats were gone, Borden said. Removing bats can be a time-consuming process, he said, because of certain procedures that have to be followed. "It's illegal to kill bats," he said. "In fact, you don't want to kill them. They eat 300 to 500 insects in an hour. They are actually one of our greatest friends because they eat so many mosquitoes. People build bat houses for this reason." Borden said bats have gotten a bad rap through the years because of the unfounded belief that they carry rabies, an infectious viral disease that can be transmitted to people through a bite. "Only 1 percent of all bats carry rabies," he said. "The numbers are so small. It's just not that common." Nowakowski said the areas at East Jefferson where the bats were found have been sanitized, and old textbooks being stored in one of the rooms have been thrown out. Acadian was scheduled to deodorize the space Friday night. "They leave a real smelly stench," Borden said. "The last thing we will do is get the smell out." Article
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Post by jonsdigs on Jan 17, 2007 23:28:35 GMT -5
School Alerted to Rabid BatsTwo cases of bites to humans are reported in Sarasota County within 30 days.By LIZ BABIARZ January 17, 2007 NYT Regional Media Group SARASOTA- Principal Steven Largo has a message for Pine View School's students and teachers: Beware of bats. The warning comes less than a week after a Pine View science teacher spotted a bat outside the school's media center and took it home to release it into a nature preserve. But before the winged mammal was set free, the teacher's son, a middle-schooler who has not been identified by district officials, stuck his hand in the box and was bitten. The bat later tested positive for rabies, the second in Sarasota County to do so in less than a month, according to the county Health Department. Only one bat tested positive for rabies in all of 2006. "We don't have that many human exposure reports, so to have two in 30 days raises some concerns from the health department's perspective," Chuck Henry, the county's environmental health director, said. "We want to remind the public not to handle bats." The other incident occurred in the backyard of a Sarasota home on Dec. 18, when a woman reported to the Health Department after being bitten by a bat while doing yard work. The bat was sent to the state regional laboratory in Tampa, where it tested positive for rabies. The woman was treated without complications, said Dianne Shipley, spokeswoman for the Health Department. Largo said the boy, who is not a Pine View student, is undergoing treatment and should be fine. People bitten by an animal that has never been vaccinated should receive five doses of rabies vaccine and a shot of rabies immune globulin. This isn't the first time bats have been a problem at Pine View, Sarasota County's school for gifted students grades 2 through 12. The school is located in Osprey. In the summer, bats were roosting in the overhangs of the media center. Netting was put up to prevent the bats from returning, but those screens have been damaged and should be replaced this week, Largo said. Largo sent out a recorded message to parents on Friday and advised parents to teach their children to stay away from bats and other wildlife on the Pine View campus. "We have a great campus, surrounded by nature, and it's very pretty," Largo said. "But we have to remember we have neighbors and they were here first, so we have to respect them." Full Article
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Post by jonsdigs on Jan 13, 2007 22:52:45 GMT -5
Bypass bats saved9:43am Friday 12th January 2007 This Is Wiltshire (UK) By John Ballard REVISED plans for the Westbury bypass are being prepared to help protect the habitat of rare bats.Wiltshire County Council submitted an initial application for the controversial scheme in 2005, but during the past year, ecology experts suggested a number of environmental improvements to the project. These involve further enhancement to the landscape along the route of the bypass to help ensure there are additional hedges, trees and other vegetation, which bats use to navigate their way around the area. The Wellhead Valley, where the proposed bypass would run, is a haven for wildlife and the area is home to 13 out of 17 species of British bats, dormice, barn owls and water voles. The county council's planning officer advised the changes to the scheme would require the submission of a revised planning application, and it is anticipated this will be delivered to planners by the middle of next month. Cllr Fleur de Rhe-Philipe, the cabinet member for environment, transport and economic development, said: "With such a major scheme, it is also important that we get it right and minimise any impact that it might have. Advertisement continued... "This is why we have taken the time to undertake a number of environmental studies." As well as reducing traffic in Westbury and improving business transport links, the aim of the bypass is to give motorists greater certainty over journey times on the A350. The revised plans are expected to go before Westbury Town Council sometime in March, although a number of councillors might not take part in the discussion. In September 2003, Cllrs Mike Pearce, Bill Braid, Russell Hawker, Derek Hulin, Carolyn Los and Christine Mitchell, were not given dispensation by West Wiltshire District Council to speak or vote on the issue because they have prejudicial interests in the bypass. It is up to the individual councillor to decide whether or not they have a prejudicial interest, so they could still speak and vote, but run the risk of a complaint being made that could lead to an investigation by the standards board. Westbury's town clerk Les Fry has approached the district council to ask for clarification and any changes on who may or may not have dispensation. Article
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Post by jonsdigs on Jan 7, 2007 0:10:36 GMT -5
Ready to brave rabid batsNews and Star (England) Published on 05/01/2007 NEW year, new continent - 19-year-old Stacy Clark, of Workington, is about to embark on a three-month voluntary teaching assignment in Peru. Stacy, of Stainburn Road, is packing her bags in readiness for what will be the experience of her lifetime and she has already taken steps to make sure she does not catch rabies from the jungle bats. She said: “Yes, the bats are rabid and there are snakes which drop out of the trees on to their prey but our accommodation is built to keep out the jungle wildlife and I’ve had so many precautionary injections that my arm feels like a pin cushion.” Stacy, who has long-term ambitions to be a dentist, flies out to Peru on February 2 to work under the umbrella of the international charity I-to-I. Her job, working with a partner, is to teach English to a group of Peruvians who need to master the language in order to introduce tourists to the rainforest and the campaign for its conservation. The first part of the assignment will be four days in the capital Lima, where she will brush up her Spanish and also get a feel for Peru’s culture, customs and cuisine, which includes roasted guinea pigs. After that, there is another flight to the gold-mining town of Puerto Maldonada, which is followed by a 90-minute boat journey up the River Orinoco to the I-to-I settlement - which provides the most basic of facilities. The buildings are on stilts and there is no running water or electricity. She is taking a mobile solar panel to keep her mobile phone charged and hopes to keep in contact with her family and friends - including mum and dad Denise and Nigel and brother and sister Nigel and Tamsin. Stacy, a former Keswick School pupil has already qualified as a TEFL (teaching English as a foreign language) teacher and is looking forward to the adventure. She said: “I’m going for the experience and to become part of a very different culture. “I did A-level biology and have always been interested in wildlife and in conservation. “I’m aware of the things I’ll be missing and one of the last things I intend to do in Workington is to sit down to a good old fashioned roast Sunday lunch.” The trip is costing Stacy around £5,000 and she has just about scraped together the total thanks to her own efforts and to donations from local companies, including B&Q in Workington where she has been working since July as a customer adviser. Article
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Post by jonsdigs on Jan 7, 2007 0:05:12 GMT -5
Man bat tale tops 2006 for weirdnessHolman Courier (Wis.) Thursday, January 04, 2007 By RANDY ERICKSON / Editor . As we start another year, I know there are at least a few among us who will look back at 2006 and say, “Whoa, what a weird year that was!” In fact, 2006 might be the year that puts the Coulee Region on the map ... for weirdness. By far the weirdest news of the year was something we haven’t reported on ... UNTIL NOW! Now it can be told, the strange, bizarre and kinda spooky story of the Beast of Briggs Road, the Man Bat. I have to admit that this won’t be news to some of our readers, especially those tapped into weird news sources. The encounter on Holmen’s Briggs Road between two area residents and a creature that combined features of a human and a bat was first reported in mid-October on a Web site published by author Linda Godfrey — www.cnb-scene.com. Godfrey got her start writing about weirdness back in 1992, after the New Year’s Eve 1991 sighting outside Elkhorn, Wis., of a strange man-dog/wolf creature, something akin to a werewolf. Godfrey, a part-time reporter at the local newspaper, had drawing skills in addition to her writing chops. Being a slow news week because of the holiday, she latched onto the story and gave it a big splash in the paper: THE BEAST OF BRAY ROAD. “We thought people would just get a chuckle and it’d go away after a few weeks,” Godfrey said. It didn’t go away, though. That was the start of something big for Godfrey, who soon was getting calls from other people who had seen similar beasts. Now that she’s got several books out on cryptozoological phenomena and general weirdness, plus Web sites devoted to those things, she’s gotten the reputation as the person to go to with strange tales. And that’s just what those two area men did after their Sept. 26 encounter on Briggs Road. Maybe they would have come to me first if they’d known I’d investigated a report of a ghostly cat-headed snake demon during my tenure at the La Crosse Tribune. But they didn’t, so their tale comes courtesy of the interviews and on-site investigation Godfrey did several weeks after the sighting. (Godfrey said she would contact one of the witnesses and ask him to contact me, but there has been no word so far.) According to Godfrey’s account, a 53-year-old La Crosse man and his 25-year-old son were driving on Briggs Road in Holmen at about 9:30 p.m. on that Tuesday. Suddenly, a creature that resembled the demonic vampire out of “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” or “Van Helsing” flew right at their windshield, flying straight up into the night sky just inches from striking the glass. In a written description, the older man — who would only give Godfrey his Cherokee name, Wohali — said the creature had leathery wings like a bag, only these wings stretched 10 to 12 feet from tip to tip. The creature had pronounced ribs, human-like legs with claws for toes and arm-like appendages tipped with claws. The creature’s eyes glowed yellow, and the face had a snarling expression, with rows of sharp teeth. To Wohali, the creature seemed hungry. It also seemed angry to have been seen and gave an unearthly howl as it flew out of sight. Both Wohali and his son became violently sick to their stomach, and Wohali remained ill for a week after the encounter. The son was so shaken up by the incident that he would not talk to Godfrey about it, she said, but Wohali was willing to relive the experience for Godfrey because he wanted people to “know what is out there.” Godfrey isn’t so sure exactly “what is out there” on Briggs Road, but she hopes that news of the sighting will inspire others to come forward if they have seen a strange creature in the area. “You can speculate until the cows come home — or until the werewolves come home — and you don’t know,” Godfrey said. “I don’t know and don’t claim to know what these creatures are.” Wohali’s account and his sincerity convinced Godfrey that he had a “credible sighting” of something she has not heard described before. “He certainly has nothing to gain by making it up” — or talking about it, she said. “He believes the more he talks about it, the more power it gives the creature.” One thing’s for sure: Godfrey plans to include the Briggs Road episode in “Strange Wisconsin,” one of several books she has in the works. She expects the book to be out by next fall. Although she can’t explain the weird experiences people around the state have reported, Godfrey said she feels it is important that somebody record those experiences. The Man Bat of Briggs Road ranks right up there as far as notable weird experiences. “I do think this sighting that Wohali had is an extremely interesting and exciting sighting,” Godfrey said. “I do think it should have some serious consideration given to it.” Article
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Post by jonsdigs on Jan 6, 2007 9:38:21 GMT -5
HOLIDAY UNITS? sorry, the bats were there firstPublished on 01/06/2007 By Ross Brewster News & Star (England) Night feeder: Brown long-eared bats roost at Throstle Hall in CaldbeckBUILDINGS earmarked for housing development near Caldbeck are a night feeding roost for brown long-eared bats. And to accommodate visitors and the bats would call for the provision of a 5m long, 2m-high loft, according to experts from the Lake District National Park Authority. The NPA says there appears to be no suitable space available at Throstle Hall to allow the conversion to accommodate the loft space for the bats. The authority’s development control committee is being asked to refuse an application to convert traditional farm outbuildings into three holiday units. A report to next week’s meeting in Kendal says the site is suitable for permanent residential use, but to allow the plans would be a “lost opportunity” to provide housing that would meet local needs. The development would be a major extension of the existing building, harming its character and appearance. And the authority will hear that insufficient information has been provided to show that the work could be carried out without harming nature conservation as a habitat for the bats. The applicant is 34-year-old Joe Mounsey, who says he wants to add to the viability of his farming business with the holiday units. He will present an agricultural appraisal report which says the proposal spreads the risk associated with farming and diversification of this kind is vital to the long term viability of many farm enterprises. The traditional buildings are obsolete and not used for modern day agriculture. At the same meeting, planners are set to give the go ahead for five homes at Askham near Penrith, for Lowther Estates, subject to securing an agreement that they are to meet identified local housing needs. Article
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Post by jonsdigs on Jan 3, 2007 1:22:19 GMT -5
Bats hold up conversion workPROTECTED SPECIES : Long-eared bats have been found in the roof of the Crown Hotel, Framlingham. A £350,000 project to convert 16th Century stables into a function room in Suffolk has been thrown into disarray after bats were discovered in the roof of the outbuildings.Ipswich Evening Star 02 January 2007 | 19:00 Roy Hunt, landlord of the Crown Hotel, in Framlingham, found 40 long-eared bats 1 in the apex of the buildings. As all 45 species of bats identified in Europe are protected under law, Mr Hunt cannot have them removed but will have to work around them. He thinks it will cost around £25,000. He said: “My first reaction was 'oh no, this is going to be a complete inconvenience' but when you think about it, it's important to preserve the history of the building where we can and the bats if we have to.” The work can only be carried out in the area in two brief periods, in March and May, so this has delayed the opening of the venue until June. While working in the roof, the bats will be led towards a temporary habitat with floodlights until the work is complete and then they will be led back with floodlights again. Mr Hunt said: “A concern for us will be that people will be eating in the restaurant knowing that there are bats in close proximity but we've been assured by DEFRA that it's a good thing because they actually eat off the bugs.” He said they had planned to open the ceiling right up so diners and drinkers at the new function room, bar and restaurant would be able to see the apex but now the bats have been discovered they will put in a dropped ceiling so the bats can still live there. An inspector from DEFRA will supervise the work when it is carried out. A DEFRA spokesperson said: “All species of bats are protected under law and people can apply for a license which will be issued by Natural England with respect to development.” Bats are protected under the Agreement on the Conservation of Populations of European Bats, which came into force in 1994, under the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals . 1. Are also known as Plecotus Auritus. Their brown ears are three quarters the length of their bodies. Their wings are folded backwards when rested. The oldest recorded long-eared bat is 30 years old. Article
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Post by jonsdigs on Jan 6, 2007 9:27:56 GMT -5
Warm weather waking batsLondon Free Press Sat, January 6, 2007 By CP REGINA -- The warm winter weather is driving them a little batty. Mark Brigham, a University of Regina biology professor, says there's been a higher than usual number of bat encounters lately. Normally, they're hibernating at this time of year but with the rising temperature and a decrease in humidity, the bats have awakened. "Just before Christmas, we had a flurry of calls when it went from cold to warm," said Brigham. "The bats have chosen places that don't stay cold enough and they lose all their fat reserves and they have to come out and find something to eat or die." Brigham is the go-to guy when the bats wake up; he often gets calls to remove bats from buildings. So far this winter, Brigham said he has retrieved 15 to 20 bats from inside buildings. Ideally, bats prefer a winter temperature of about plus two and high levels of humidity. Article
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Post by jonsdigs on Dec 21, 2006 8:22:08 GMT -5
This is an issue in which the Colorado caving community has been in support of Robert Congdon in his dispute with the Forest Service. There was an article about the exploration of the mine in Rocky Mountain Caving. Miner a casualty of the 'New West'Congdon reaches plea bargain in dispute with the federal governmentBy Scott Condon December 21, 2006 Aspen, CO Colorado CRYSTAL VALLEY — One of the last miners in Pitkin County considers himself a casualty in the transition of the Old West into the New West. Robert Congdon on Tuesday settled a dispute with the U.S. Forest Service, which might prevent him accessing a mine in the Crystal Valley that he rediscovered 20 years ago on the lower slopes of Mount Sopris. He wants the Maree Love Mine preserved as an important piece of the area's history. Congdon said he agreed to plead guilty to two charges - damaging natural features and maintaining or constructing a structure. In return, charges of interfering with a law enforcement officer and damaging a historical structure will be dropped. The plea bargain couldn't be confirmed Wednesday with the U.S. Attorney's Office, which is prosecuting the case for the Forest Service. The Forest Service pursued charges against Congdon in December 2005 because agency officials felt his work put natural and historic resources at risk. A colony of rare Townsend's big-eared bats took up residence in the mine and the feds felt mining activity could bring them harm. The area is also sprinkled with mining relics that date to the late 1800s. Congdon holds an unpatented mining claim on the 20-acre Maree Love, giving him the right to mine the subsurface minerals. The Forest Service owns the surface rights. The claim is near the Penny Hot Springs, about six miles north of Redstone. Congdon has maintained for the last year that his intent was to preserve the mining history at the site and possibly guide limited tours. Research indicates that lead, zinc and copper were pulled out of an upper mine on the claim. Iron oxides used in paints and stains were pulled out of the lower mine. The lower mine was worked as recently as the 1950s or '60s. Congdon said mining relics such as ore cars, picks and ladders are rotting because the Forest Service hasn't taken the initiative to preserve them. The agency is so strapped for cash that it had to contract out operation of its campgrounds, so it appears incapable of historic preservation, he said. Forest Service officials didn't return phone calls Wednesday for comment. The assistant U.S. attorney handling the case was unavailable. One of the charges against Congdon stemmed from his use of new lumber to shore up a historic shed on the site. The shed was crumbling because of exposure to the elements and lack of maintenance. As for the bats, Congdon views himself somewhat as their guardian. His reopening of the mine entrance in the early 1980s established the habitat, he said. Congdon also used a backhoe to dig out the entrance of the mine after a mudslide closed it, he noted. If he hadn't been working around the mine, the entire colony would have perished, he said. Congdon received a letter of thanks from the Colorado Division of Wildlife for assisting their research on the bat colony. He has also worked with college professors from Colorado on research. Despite believing his actions and intentions benefited the mine and the bats, Congdon gave up fighting the charges. He said he couldn't afford the fight, especially since the charges are what he termed minor infractions. "For me, it was really a dollars and cents decision not to go to court and fight a petty offense," he said. Congdon believes his case is a microcosm of what's happening around the West as traditional activities like mining, logging and grazing get pushed off public lands in favor of recreational pursuits. "This is the transition period," he said. The federal government has the power to squash "the working man" but won't mess with big corporations with lawyers at their disposal, in Congdon's view. He is scheduled for sentencing Jan. 29. Congdon said his attorney told him not to expect jail time or probation but that a fine was possible. Congdon may also be required to rebuild the mine's access road to a better standard. Scott Condon's e-mail address is scondon@aspentimes.com. Article
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Post by jonsdigs on Dec 20, 2006 19:07:20 GMT -5
Leon County warns against touching batsTallahassee Democrat Originally published December 18, 2006 Having responded to three calls in the last week regarding residents coming in contact with bats, the Leon County Animal Control division is warning residents not to touch bats because they can carry rabies. If you do come in contact with a bat, you're advised to call Animal Control officers. "I recently had a citizen who said they rescued a bat and caught it with their bare hands," Animal Control Director Richard Ziegler said. “People should not touch bats. Also, if a bat is found in a condition that allowed someone to approach and capture it, chances are that there is something wrong with it." Anyone who does touch a bat is usually required to get rabies tests, which are painful and expensive. "I don't want people to panic, but be cautious," Ziegler said in a news release. If someone finds a bat outside, they should leave it alone. If it's injured, call an animal control officer. If someone finds a bat inside a house, it is likely that there are more bats, especially in older buildings where the animal can gain entry though small cracks or other openings. Residents should call Leon County Animal Control immediately. It is recommended that pet owners vaccinate their animals against rabies and report any interaction between their pet and bats. Article
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Post by jonsdigs on Dec 15, 2006 21:35:51 GMT -5
Scout goes to bat for oft-dreaded creatureBY JESSICA SMITH East Bruswick Sentenal (NJ) Staff Writer Thanks to Keith Obzut, Milltown has gone batty.The 16-year-old Eagle Scout decided to earn the highest Scout rank attainable by completing a project dealing with bats. “I wanted to educate the community on bats because bats have gotten a bad image from movies and Halloween, when in fact they actually help the community by eating bugs and [producing] guano,” Keith said. Guano, which comes from bats’ excrement, is used for fertilizer. With the help of his troop members, the East Brunswick resident built nine bat houses, one of which was donated on the Lawrence Brook Watershed Partnership (LBWP). The bat house was installed in the spring at Milltown’s LBWP headquarters at 85 Washington Ave., Keith said. Another is located at Janet Court Park; still others were sold to members of the community. Those anticipating bat-sightings at the houses will have to wait for spring, because bats migrate in the winter, Keith said. Due to bats’ love of warmth, the houses have to be a dark color, so they can attract and store heat from the sun during the day, and the openings on them must be no larger than three-quarters of an inch, so little heat escapes. Keith said it is also important that the houses are placed in an open area, where bats can fly in and out easily, and that they are near water, where insects thrive. Sign presented by Eagle Scout Keith Obzut for the Lawrence Brook Watershed Partnership headquarters.To fulfill his goal of educating the community on the often-feared creatures, Obzut gave talks for the LBWP, as well as for his colleagues in Troop 33. He became interested in bats as a young child, when his uncle showed him a group of them living underneath his porch. On a recent Saturday, Keith presented Milltown Mayor Gloria Bradford and LBWP President Alan Godber with a sign to be placed at the LBWP headquarters. He had to clear his project with both the mayor and LBWP before beginning it back in 2005. “This is a great moment for an exceptional young man,” Bradford said during the ceremony, noting that being able to work with youth is a highlight of her career in public service. The LBWP was able to help Keith get his badge while he helped them get publicity for their nonprofit organization, according to Ralph Steiner of the LBWP. Keith has been with the Scouts since first grade. Now a junior at Saint Joseph’s High School in Metuchen, he has fulfilled all of the necessary steps to achieving status as an Eagle Scout. According to the Boy Scouts of America Web site, only 5 percent of all Scouts reach the top rank. “It taught me many lessons that I’ll need for the future, and I plan to use those,” Keith said. placed at the LBWP headquarters. He had to clear his project with both the mayor and LBWP before beginning it back in 2005. “This is a great moment for an exceptional young man,” Bradford said during the ceremony, noting that being able to work with youth is a highlight of her career in public service. The LBWP was able to help Keith get his badge while he helped them get publicity for their nonprofit organization, according to Ralph Steiner of the LBWP. Keith has been with the Scouts since first grade. Now a junior at Saint Joseph’s High School in Metuchen, he has fulfilled all of the necessary steps to achieving status as an Eagle Scout. According to the Boy Scouts of America Web site, only 5 percent of all Scouts reach the top rank. “It taught me many lessons that I’ll need for the future, and I plan to use those,” Keith said. Article
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Post by jonsdigs on Dec 15, 2006 3:10:16 GMT -5
Gifts for the GardenerBy DAVID WALZER SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL CORRESPONDENT Let me warn you, decorative gift buying for the gardener can be a very tricky business. Most gardeners have a very set idea about what belongs in their garden and if you give them the wrong thing, chances are that your gift will end up on the table at their next garage sale. Decorative gifts would be plants, ceramic frogs, electric frogs, all kinds of kitschy statuary, "mystic gazing balls" or even a "celestial orb." Do we really need another garden gnome?... ...Being a bat lover, I was particularly intrigued by this item. Bat houses come in several shapes and floor plans and provide a welcome habitat for mosquito-eating bats. Howe explained to me that many species of bats are endangered, so if your gardener friend is also an environmentalist, a bat house might make an exciting gift... Full Article
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