Vampire bats kill 13 people in Brazil

Reuters ^ | Saturday, April 3, 2004

[presidio9]

Rabies-carrying vampire bats killed at least 13 people in a remote Amazon town in Brazil's northern state of Para last month, authorities said on Friday.

The state health care department said the thumb-sized creatures had attacked about 300 people -- an unusually high number -- since March 2 in the riverside Portel area, next to the world's biggest estuarine archipelago of Marajo.

[MD_Willington_1976]

Thought this was a story about Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the president of Brazil...

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[presidio9]

I was just thinking that no matter what else is bothering me in the world, at least I have not been bitten by a vampire bat in the last month or so. So I've got that going for me. Which is nice.

[BipolarBob]

Keep the faith bro. Don't give into the dark side. I'd rather be dead than . . well . . undead.

[Billthedrill]

Chills up the spine. Rabies is just about the nastiest death imaginable for any mammal, and that includes us.

[SW6906]

"The spokeswoman said government scientists suspect the attacks are linked to a change in the bats' migration pattern caused by deforestation."

Of course it's man's fault, it couldn't possibly be anything else.... /sarcasm

[Safetgiver]

I heard there is a critical shortage of garlic, due to mankind's overindulgence in pizzas, down there.

[vetvetdoug]

This is good for business.

[spetznaz]

Wicked vampire kiss ping. Maybe the Boyz should go investigate how hard a vampire bat bite is. Maybe cradle one under their armpits.

[cyborg]

Lord don't give Steve-O any ideas!