By Ranjan Bhaduri
Nov. 4, (THAINDIAN NEWS) 1.9 million US Dollars have been approved by the Congress to be utilized in the cure of Bats that are suffering from the “white nosed syndrome”. The amount has been given up for the research of the ailment when the scientists asked for $15 million US dollar.

The disease is a “fungal malady”, that is bringing down the population of the bats in the North-East part of Unites States Of America. The bats suffering from this disease, have white markings on their ears and muzzles. The fungus causes irritation in them and they are unable to have proper hibernating periods. This in turn makes them weak to hunt. According to the scientists who have carried out researches on it, the bats are not getting sufficient food and therefore starving to death. The main cause of concern is that it kills 99% of the diseased ones. The disease is spreading across USA and is being discovered in new caves regularly. 1.5 million bats have already given up their lives to this disease.

Spending this amount of money on bats when people go to bed hungry every night, may seem insensitive but is not. The bats are an important creature in our ecosystem and they kill the insects thus providing an ecosystem balance. The insects are going to increase in cities as well as farms once these bats are all dead. A bat approximately eats 3,000 mosquitoes in a single night, thus saving us from the West Nile Virus and our crops from being eaten. It is being said that the White Nose Syndrome arises due to global warming and pesticides/ chemicals. Scientists are trying to find the cause and cure of the disease.