Researchers in a new study have warned that vampire bats, known for their history of expanding their range in response to climate change, are increasingly likely to move further north due to global warming caused by human activities. This shift raises concerns about potential health risks to wildlife, livestock, and in rare cases, humans, particularly through diseases like rabies.
The study, published in the journal “Ecography,” focuses on the common vampire bat, prevalent in northern Mexico and extending throughout Central and South America. With climate change, parts of the United States may soon become suitable habitats for these bats. The research underscores the historical trend of vampire bats migrating to new areas in search of more stable and moderate habitats in response to extreme seasonal temperatures in their current ranges.
While the presence of vampire bats alone is not a cause for alarm, their ability to transmit diseases, especially rabies, is a significant concern. This poses a particular threat to the livestock industry, as vampire bats are known to indirectly kill hundreds of cattle annually in some countries by infecting them with the deadly virus.
The ongoing research also highlights the diversity of bats in Colombia, which boasts some of the highest rates in the world, only second to Indonesia. This diversity makes Colombia an ideal natural laboratory, as noted by Luis Escobar, a disease ecologist and assistant professor at Virginia Tech.
By using ecological modeling, the study has shown how previous climate changes correlate with the bats’ range shifts. This research also sheds light on the relationship between climate change and the distribution of rabies outbreaks over time, linking global warming with the changing distribution of vampire bats and, concurrently, with continental shifts in the risk of rabies spread from wildlife to pets.
For more details on this important research, visit dzwatch.net
