Everyone knows mosquitos are nasty vampiric pests. Little blood-sucking predators, they're always on the hunt for more juicy prey — buzzing around people and animals alike. But even as annoying and sometimes deadly as they are for humans, nothing could have prepared us for what has happened in Louisiana.
After Hurricane Laura swept through the region, swarms of mosquitoes have turned the sky dark in some areas. And the main target they've been descending on is innocent, helpless livestock.
Sign the petition to demand that authorities in Louisiana, Texas, and Florida take action to save animals from these vampiric deaths by addressing climate change now!The horses and cows try to outrun the insects, but they are no match for the dense swarms and eventually they become tired, hardly able to protect themselves. That's when the mosquitos dig in, huge collections of them landing on the animals' bodies and
causing so many wounds that
the animals literally bled to death.In the few weeks since late August 2020, farmers in just a small portion of the state had lost upwards of 300 cows, scores of deer, and several horses to these mercenary mosquitoes.
It isn't an accident that these deadly insects have begun congregating in states like Louisiana, Texas, and Florida after hurricanes. In the past twenty years, the problem has become more pronounced — because of climate change. As our Earth heats up, water levels rise and hurricanes worsen.
These three things together make for a perfect environment for mosquitoes, which love all things warm and wet. In fact, research proves that mosquito season has gotten longer and more intense in the past few years.
But innocent horses, cows, and deer should not have to pay the price for human indifference and our environmental destruction.If Louisiana, Texas, and Florida value the lives of their animals and want to make sure that their farmers don't lose precious livestock, they must take climate change seriously. Yet these are three of the states that are most lax when it comes to greenhouse gas regulations and other policies addressing climate change. That must change, now. Their own futures depend on it!
Sign the petition to demand that the governors of Florida, Texas, and Louisiana commit to becoming carbon neutral by 2040!