Caroline ChenMay 22, 2023
ProPublica

The Scientist and the Bats
==

Funders thought watching #bats wasn’t important. Then she helped solve the #mystery
of a deadly #virus.

Novel infectious #diseases will keep coming at us, #wildlife
ecologist Peggy Eby warns. Investing in scientific work like hers “seems like a poor approach now,” she said, “but 20 years from now, we’ll look back & wonder why we didn’t do it.”

The latest in our Roots of An Outbreak series from @carolinechen

#Health #Disease #Research
https://www.propublica.org/article/australia-bats-hendra-research-pandemic-prevention?utm_medium=social&utm_source=mastodon&utm_campaign=mastodon-post

Funders Thought Watching Bats Wasn’t Important. Then She Helped Solve the Mystery of a Deadly Virus.

Funders thought watching bats wasn’t important. Then she helped solve the mystery of a deadly virus.

ProPublica
May 22, 2023 at 1:46pmWeb
Show threadProPublicaMay 22, 2023

Catch up on the full series here:

https://www.propublica.org/series/roots-of-an-outbreak?utm_medium=social&utm_source=mastodon&utm_campaign=mastodon-post

Roots of an Outbreak

The next pandemic is just a forest clearing away. We’re not doing enough to prevent viruses from spilling over from wildlife to humans.

ProPublica
Show threadDr KJDMay 22, 2023
@ProPublica @carolinechen I’ve worked with Peggy Eby, an inspiring woman devoted to the understanding and rehabilitation of the flying fox in Australia. Since colonisation they’ve been vilified as filthy vermin, viciously persecuted & massacred in their roosts. Yet they live on the fruit and nectar of blossoming trees… long distance pollinators & seed distributors; integral to the vitality, the life, of our forests. Peggy’s work is a huge contribution to their (and our) survival.
Show threadDale SteeleMay 23, 2023
@ProPublica Habitat encroachment and destruction greatly increase the risk of contact with new infectious diseases. It doesn't have to be that way.#wildlife #conservation