May 23, 2001: Horse Deaths, Tent Caterpillars - Linda Moulton Howe | Mars update - Richard C. Hoagland
Howe speaks with University of Kentucky entomologist Dr. Lee Townsend and equine nutritionist Stephen Jackson, both of whom express doubt about the caterpillar theory. Jackson estimates the true number of losses could be ten times the official count, with some farms losing 100 percent of early pregnancies. The economic toll on Kentucky's billion-dollar thoroughbred industry could reach hundreds of millions over the coming years.
In the second half, Richard C. Hoagland reports breaking news from Washington. NASA headquarters is holding emergency meetings about newly acquired high-resolution images of the Face on Mars, taken in response to a formal request from the FACETS organization. Hoagland's political sources suggest the Bush administration may be laying groundwork for a manned Mars mission announcement, possibly tied to the July 20th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing.
Key Moments
532 Kentucky horse fetuses lost since April 28: Linda Moulton Howe reports the University of Kentucky Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center has logged 532 aborted fetuses and foals across central Kentucky thoroughbred farms in under a month, an unprecedented event in horse-raising history.
Cyanide-laden tent caterpillars suspected: After mycotoxin tests came back negative, investigators pivot to eastern tent caterpillars stripping wild black cherry trees, which produce extra cyanide under stress. Caterpillars carry cyanide in their guts and may be transferring it to pasture grasses.
True losses may be ten times the official 532: Equine nutritionist Stephen Jackson tells Howe that the 532 figure likely represents under 10% of actual losses; one farm he knows had all 72 February-bred mares slip their pregnancies, suggesting catastrophic underreporting of early embryonic losses.
NASA to announce Face on Mars press conference: Hoagland reports that NASA brass met all day at headquarters and will announce a press conference, likely Wednesday, on the new Mars Global Surveyor images of the Face on Mars - the first official NASA Face press conference in a quarter century.
Hoagland claim: Bush admin moving toward manned Mars mission: Hoagland says his Bush-administration source has told him since December that the new White House is seriously considering a manned Mars initiative driven by the artifacts question, recalling that Bush Sr. announced the 1989 Moon-Mars initiative the same day CNN tapped Hoagland to defend it.