So sorry to disappoint you if you thought this blog was going to discuss human sexuality.
Something is going on within the animal kingdom and it is happening rapidly. Birds are showing up dead on shores or falling dead from the skies, the honey bees are dropping like flies or disappearing to who knows where, and the migrating monarch butterfly to Mexico has declined by 59 % !
THE BIRDS (Not an Alfred Hitchcock movie)
Scientists and bird migration experts are taking notice and paying special attention this last decade. Massive amounts of birds have been falling out of the sky and found dead in the U. S. in places like Arkansas and Louisiana. Around the world dead birds showed up in Sweden, Chile, Canada, South Korea and Italy and that was only in the year 2011.
In 2012, more than 500 penguins washed ashore on Brazil beaches. Migrating north from places like Argentina, some wildlife biologists believe these penguins are starving due to humans overfishing and ocean acidity due to global warming.
Just as recently as January, 2013, a report came out regarding a common water bird species declining rapidly and showing up dead on northern Michigan’s shorelines. Scientists suspect invasive species of mussels clearing the water allowing for more Algae to grow. Algae builds and then dies resulting in the depletion of oxygen. At this point, type E-botulism develops and fish such as gobies eat the toxin. Fish eating waterfowl eat the toxic fish and become infected with botulism. The toxic botulism affects the bird’s nervous system and muscles soon leaving these birds unable to fly and they ultimately drown.
Analyzing over 20 years of data and in a peer-reviewed study published in PLOS ONE, researchers concluded that pesticide use, not habitat loss, was the most important factor of major declines in the population of U. S. grassland birds.
Results of several studies say the timing migration patterns of birds around the world have changed since the world has gotten warmer. Birds are migrating earlier facing adverse conditions and limited food and water resources. Environmentally related factors like sunlight and temperature determine the timing of when a bird will start to migrate. Hummingbirds are a perfect example. If hummingbirds are prompted to migrate earlier than usual this year, they could be in trouble. The climates they have to migrate through might affect them negatively.
In a published journal study of 48 million bird observations, see this 2012 Science Daily article to learn more.
THE BEES (“Ain’t Mis BEEhavin’ “on their own)
Coincidentally, the bursting growth of neonicotinoids since 2005 has coincided with the rising deaths in honey bees, also known as COLONY COLLAPSE DISORDER. Beekeepers are beginning to enter panic mode since as much as 50% of the hives have been wiped out. Without bees, there goes most of our fruit and vegetable crops. Call me selfish but I like to eat apples, honey, blueberries, almonds etc; At least 1/3 of the world’s crops rely on the pollination from honey bees.
“If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, then man would only have four years of life left.” – Albert Einstein
What the heck are neonicotinoids?
A nicotine based pesticide used in GMO (genetically modified organisms) crops.
- A class of neuro-active insecticides related to nicotine and can pose a danger to both humans and insects.
- They affect the central nervous system in insects while affecting both central and peripheral nervous systems in mammals. Low exposure causes nervous stimulation and high levels block receptors causing paralysis and ultimately death.
- These pesticides are directly placed in the soil of the plant. The plant becomes poisoned with toxins present in the roots, leaves, stems and pollen.
GMO crops – a health issue
Last week, the European Commission has proposed a 2 year ban on certain pesticides believed to contribute to honey bee deaths. Needless to say, pesticide companies deny a link to the bee deaths.
When GMOs were first introduced in 1996, one big selling point was that these new crops would reduce 