White-nose Syndrome Killing Bats in Northeast
Fungus Destroying Bat Populations Could be Spread by Cavers
A deadly fungus has been decimating bat populations throughout the Northeast for the past two years and cavers could be part of the problem. White-nose syndrome was first discovered in 2006 in Albany, New York and has since spread to New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. The fungus has killed hundreds of thousands of bats, reducing colonies by 90 to 100 percent.
White-nose Syndrome Starves Bats
The aptly named white-nose syndrome leaves a white substance on hibernating bats’ faces and wings. Although the fungus is not yet fully understood, it is thought that the fungus acts as an irritant that causes bats to awaken too often during their hibernation. Frank D. Roylance in his Baltimore Sun article “Bat-killing Fungus at Maryland’s Borders” says that healthy bats wake up every 10 to 18 days, whereas infected bats awaken every two to three days. He goes on to explain that these frequent awakenings cause the bats to burn too much energy. The bats start their food hunts too early and spend energy looking for food that has not yet grown. In the end the bats starve to death. The disease is having a devastating impact on bat populations and five species are at risk of becoming regionally extinct. Roylance says these include the little brown bat, tricolored bat, northern long-eared bat, the federally endangered Indiana bat, and the endangered Eastern small-foot myotis.
Cavers Could be Spreading Deadly Fungus
Although the fungus is not known to affect humans, they may have a role in spreading white-nose syndrome. Some speculate that the spread of the fungus from upstate New York to surrounding states could be due to recreational cave explorers. Cross checks of cave log books show that Virginia caves were infected after a visit from cavers who had been at the original infection site in New York. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) asks cavers to decontaminate their clothes and gear after every cave exploration regardless of whether bats live there or not. Further, gear used in infected caves should not be used until more is known about the disease. Upon exiting a cave, cavers should scrape off as much dirt as possible, put the clothes in a plastic bag, and wash their belongings off-site. The FWS suggests washing clothes in the hottest cycle possible and disinfecting gear with alcohol or diluted bleach.
Bats Necessary for the Environment
Bats often do not elicit much sympathy. Instead, they are portrayed as scary, blood-sucking disease carriers, which is a rather unfair image. It is now known that less than one percent of bats carry rabies and most bats are insectivores, not carnivores. In fact, bats play an important part in the ecosystem by eating insects, pollinating plants, and spreading seeds. Roylance’s article asserts that bats save U.S farmers $1 billion each year by consuming pests and that one little brown bat can eat 1000 mosquito sized bugs an hour.
Surely it is time for society to educate itself on the importance of bats and take steps to protect these vital creatures.
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