Vampire attacks.Karen Gajewski's "Worth Noting" column in the May/June Humanist suggests that an increase in vampire bat attacks on humans in Brazil may be owing to owing to prep. Because of; on account of: I couldn't attend, owing to illness. owing to prep → debido a, por causa de deforestation deforestation Process of clearing forests. Rates of deforestation are particularly high in the tropics, where the poor quality of the soil has led to the practice of routine clear-cutting to make new soil available for agricultural use. . Supposedly, less available vegetation for fruit-eating bats, along with "greater availability of livestock ... led to changes in bats' migratory patterns, affecting their population [levels?] and behavior." Much of this is misleading or incorrect. The editor of the Humanist kindly provided me with the source for Gajewski's information--a story on BBC News Online BBC News Online (more recently referred to as simply the BBC News website) is the website of BBC News, the division of the BBC responsible for newsgathering and production. Forming a major part of bbc.co. . It contains all of the misleading speculation repeated by Gajewski in addition to further inaccuracies. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the BBC BBC in full British Broadcasting Corp. Publicly financed broadcasting system in Britain. A private company at its founding in 1922, it was replaced by a public corporation under royal charter in 1927. source, the increase in attacks is for only one state--not necessarily for Brazil as a whole. (Decreasing numbers of attacks might be occurring elsewhere.) The controlling factor in the increase in attacks would be the greater availability of cattle blood as food for the bats, owing to the large numbers of cattle now being raised in formerly forested areas turned into rangeland. This would result in a greatly increased abundance of vampire bats, making bites on humans more likely. Bitable humans have probably also increased in numbers in numbered parts; as, a book published in numbers. See also: Number in the area, and their scattering over the rangeland, in proximity to the cattle and the bats feeding on them, would contribute to an increase ill human bites. The only way a reduction in fruit-eating bats, caused by lack of vegetation, could impact vampire bat numbers would be if this freed up potential roosting cavities for vampire bats. But vampire bats are very flexible and adaptable in their roosting habits, so this is doubtful. None of the bats in question are migratory and no change in behavior on the part of the vampire bats need be postulated pos·tu·late tr.v. pos·tu·lat·ed, pos·tu·lat·ing, pos·tu·lates 1. To make claim for; demand. 2. To assume or assert the truth, reality, or necessity of, especially as a basis of an argument. 3. . The bats have been biting humans as opportunity permitted for as long as they have coexisted. The more cows, the more bats. The more bats and people, the more bites on people. Ronald H. Pine, Ph.D. Research Associate, Division of Mammals, Field Museum, Chicago |
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