Millions of Bats at risk in US and Canada – White Nose Syndrome

The Battle for Bats: White Nose Syndrome from Ravenswood Media on Vimeo.

A mysterious illness is threatening the bat population in North America, and scientists believe a fungus is to blame. White Nose Syndrome (WNS) was first detected in New York in 2006. In just four years, the disease has spread across New England and the Mid-Atlantic states and into Canada, The U.S. Forest Service said. Recent sightings have been reported in bat populations in Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas. At the time of this writing, more than 1 million bats have died, Reuters reported. Researchers say WNS is caused by a cold-loving fungus called Geomyces destructans. The fungus is spread primarily through bat-to-bat interaction, but it can also be transmitted on the footwear, clothing and gear of cave visitors. When the fungus comes in contact with a bat, it produces a white material on the animal's face and wings, and forces the creature out of hibernation in the middle of winter. Infected bats then attempt to find food. Since there are no insects available, the bats literally starve to death. WNS has been detected in nine species of bat; however, it is particularly common in the little brown myotis bat. People who've entered hibernation caves invaded by the fungus have found the floors blanketed with thousands of dead bats. According to a new report in Science Magazine, the bat death rate is so severe that it could cause one species to vanish within 16 years. Such a loss could hurt the agriculture and forestry industries because bats help to pollinate plants and eat their body weight in bugs each night, Live Science reported. Other than agricultural pests, the bats eat carriers of human disease, such as mosquitoes. Had they survived the disease, the bats would have eaten more than 5.5 tons of insects per night or 2.4 million pounds per year. A reduction in the bat population could also affect the ecology of the caves where the bats reside. "This is one of the worst wildlife crises we've faced in North America," said Winifred F. Frick, co-author of the report featured in Science. "The severity of the mortality and the rapidity of the spread of this disease make it very challenging and distressing." What can be done to stop the spread of WNS? Current options are limited. The U.S. Forest Service has begun restricting access to caves where the bats hibernate. And biologists with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation have started testing topical anti-fungal solutions, The Boston Globe reported, but this effort is simply expected to buy time until a cure can be found. On the local level, residents in affected regions are encouraged to build small, backyard bat houses, which could help the creatures successfully reproduce.