Vol. 10, No. 04, April 2014

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Ebola Again In The News

Fruit Bat: the "spectacled flying fox" Pteropus conspicillatus.

African Recipe: Fruit Bat Soup
3 Fruit bats, well washed (but neither skinned nor eviscerated)
Water
1 tablespoon finely sliced fresh ginger
1 large onion, quartered

Micronesia: Fruit Bat Cooking Instructions
1. Place the bats in a large kettle and add water to cover, with ginger, onion and salt. Bring to boil and cook for 40 minutes. Strain broth into a second kettle.
2. Skin the bats and discard the skin. Remove meat from the bones and return meat, plus any of the viscera you fancy, to the broth. Heat.
3. Serve liberally sprinkled with scallions and further seasoning with soy sauce and/or coconut cream.

Fruit bats, or flying foxes, are furry, fruit and nectar eating bats about the size of small rabbits. It is reported that they make “very affectionate” pets, but they are also widely eaten. The Micronesian recipe was reported from Jean Hewitt’s 1971 The New York Times Natural Foods Cookbook (out of print).

Map of West Africa charting the spread of the Ebola outbreak as of late March, 2014.

In late March, Guinea banned the sale and consumption of bats to prevent the spread of the deadly Ebola virus which has, to date, killed nearly 100 people in neighboring West African nations of Guiana and Liberia. In all of these countries, bats are a “local delicacy.” Unfortunately, they are also the principal agents for the spread of Ebola, according to Rene Lama, Guinea’s Minister of Health. Senegal has closed its borders.

In 2005, researchers found evidence of Ebola in three fruit bat species. According to the published findings and confirmed by the CDC (http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/) the bats are only vectors and show no symptoms of the disease. Other species, monkeys, for example, may also harbor the virus.

In countries where eating bats – or dogs or insects – seems odd, responders should note that if they are called to a foreign country or even to another U.S. neighborhood (we are, after all, an ethnically diverse nation), they may encounter unusual foods and manners. “People from my lineage as Kwawus (in eastern Ghana) are typically known as people who enjoy this delicacy [fruit bats] most. And so this is a matter which is dear to my heart,” said Seth Acheampong, a Guinea Member of Parliament. What Acheampong is saying is that food is not just a matter of preference or of availability, but has, over time, developed deep emotional connections. So, sample the local delicacies, but understand that some of them – the fruit bat is one – come with risks.

World-wide distribution of fruit bats: large eyes, excellent sense of smell, but generally without the bat’s usual ability to echolocate.


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Climate Change Risks in Florida

http://floridaclimate.org/ .

Climate variability and change pose significant economic and environmental risks to Florida. The Florida Climate Change Task Force focuses on identifying current State University climate change expertise, research and curricula; enhancing cooperation with state and federal agencies to bring science into climate change-related decision making; and developing a climate change information system and portal that will connect State University System assets with these agencies, private industries, and other groups to facilitate communication.

http://planetsave.com/2007/12/03/climate-change-could-leave-florida-hotter-smaller/
Based on studies by the University of Arizona.


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About Karst Topography

Karst is a landscape formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks including limestone, dolomite and gypsum. It is characterized by sinkholes, caves and underground drainage systems.

  1. Rainwater becomes acidic as it comes in contact with carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the soil.
  2. As it drains into fractures in the rock, the water begins to dissolve away the rock creating a network of passages.
  3. Over time, water flowing through the network continues to erode and enlarge the passages; this allows the system to transport increasingly larger amounts of water.

Dissolution associated with karst development limestone creates a complex underground water flow network, including caves large enough for humans to access. Rainwater travels through the network until it reaches the water table where it acts as an aquifer, storing water for human use.

Millions of people in Florida get their drinking water from the karst aquifer. This resource is especially important as the Sentinel State becomes more urbanized.

With more people, Florida faces a higher demand for water, but pollutants can also pass through the spongy limestone. Plus, streams and surface runoff entering the aquifer via sinkholes and caves bypass the natural filtration produced by seeping through soil and bedrock. This direct recharge quickly replenishes the water supply, but it also leaves the aquifer vulnerable to contamination.

 


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