Monday, 11 November 2013

Wind turbines are killing hundreds of thousands of bats every year

Not only birds are slaughtered by the inefficient and landscape destroying wind turbines - hundreds of thousands of bats are also killed worldwide by these taxpayer subsidised monsters. Alone in the US at least 600,000 bats were killed by wind turbines in 2012, and according to scientists the real number is probably much bigger:

In the process of creating sustainable energy, wind turbines across the United States are also taking a toll on a species that is vital to our ecosystem: bats.

More than 600,000 bats fell victim to the turbines in 2012, according to a new study. The turbines spin at up to 179 miles per hour, rising hundreds of feet into the air.

While many Americans consider bats to be pesky or scary, they serve a vital ecological role. They eat a tremendous number of flying insects and they help pollinate crops, such as peaches and avocados.

Published in the journal BioScience, this University of Colorado study analyzes records of dead bats found near the wind generators.

"Dead bats are being found underneath wind turbines across North America," wrote biologist Mark Hayes. "This estimate of bat fatalities is probably conservative."

Read the entire article here

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