Rule of Unintended Consequences: Bats
The following report is from the Sept 15, 2008 Chemical & Engineering News reporting on a publication in Curr. Biol. 2008, 18, R695 by Erin F. Baerwald et al. Why are bats found dead by wind turbines? We know the blades hit birds, but bats use echolocation to avoid hitting stationary or moving objects. The study found that in contrast to birds that suffered external injuries [they got hit by the blades], 69 of 75 dead bats had internal hemorrhaging, but not external injuries. The authors suggest that the turbines cause a drop in air pressure that ruptures blood vessels in the lungs, whereas birds have more rigid lungs that are not affected similarly. So what is one to do? The authors suggest that the turbines should be shut when the wind is slow & bats are more active and in autumn when bats migrate. Hopefully, these are not protected bats.
