The Great Salamander Pandemic, Part 1: Are We Ready?

<p>You may not have heard about 'Bsal' before, but it nearly wiped out a population of salamanders in Europe, and scientists worry it could invade the United States--the home of the world's greatest diversity of salamanders--next.</p> <p>Is the U.S. ready for Bsal, and can a pandemic in this global salamander hotspot be prevented, unlike the one that's currently crippling human societies globally? What's being done, and what would it mean to lose salamanders on a landscape-wide level in North America?</p> <p>This inaugural season of Mongabay Explores, originally published in 2020 just at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, tackles these important questions.</p> <p>Made possible by our Patreon supporters, this six-part season will dive into a reporting project our writers and editors produced on the topic to learn what's known about this issue now.</p> <p>More reading from Mongabay on this topic:</p> <ul> <li><strong><a href= "https://news.mongabay.com/2018/09/on-the-hunt-for-a-silent-salamander-killer/"> On the hunt for a silent salamander-killer</a><br /></strong><em>Scientists are racing to stop a pandemic before it starts – but will they find it in time?</em></li> <li>Mongabay's whole series on Bsal is <a href= "https://news.mongabay.com/series/salamanders/">here</a></li> <li>United States Bsal Task Force <a href= "http://www.salamanderfungus.org/task-force/">website</a></li> </ul> <p>If you enjoy this show, please invite your friends to listen and subscribe. Also please subscribe to our sister show the <em>Mongabay Newscast</em> via <a href= "http://subscribeonandroid.com/mongabay.libsyn.com/rss">Android</a>, <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/mongabay-newscast/id1155856616?mt=2">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href= "https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cDovL21vbmdhYmF5LmxpYnN5bi5jb20vcnNz"> Google Podcasts</a>, <a href= "http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/mongabay-newscast">Stitcher</a>, Spotify, Pandora, or wherever they get podcasts.</p> <p>See all our latest news from nature's frontline at Mongabay's home