BREAKING NEWS ALERT about the movie Contagion(including spoiler):

Word has it that the new movie, Contagion, blames its central disaster on bats. This is disheartening to those working to educate people on bats’ important roles in our environment. From Bat Conservation International :

“Although bats sometimes harbor pathogens, any risk pales in contrast to the benefits bats provide. In fact, bats hunt and reduce the number of insects carrying diseases such as West Nile Virus. And scientists recently concluded that bats save American farmers billions of dollars a year by consuming crop-destroying pests. Bats also pollinate many valuable plants and disperse seeds that help restore damaged rainforests. In North America, right now, bat populations are being decimated by their own disease, White-nose Syndrome, which does not affect humans. For centuries, bats have been threatened because of misinformation and myths. We hope this movie does not encourage such needless fears.”

Please support conservation organizations such as BCI, and make sure that your opinions of the world are based on science and fact, and not on emotions.