Contacts
Lori Pruitt 812-334-4261 x 211
Georgia Parham 812-334-4261 x 203
A recent survey of the Indiana
Department of Natural Resources' Wyandotte Cave found the
hibernating endangered Indiana bat population had moved
into areas of the cave not used in decades. Winter cave
tours were discontinued for the first time in September
2002 to allow the rare species to hibernate undisturbed
in Wyandotte Cave, one of the bat's most important
wintering caves.
The survey, funded by Indiana's
Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program, was conducted in
February under the supervision of Dr. Virgil Brack, a
well-known bat expert who has studied the population of
bats in the cave for over 20 years. Dr. Brack and his
crew discovered hibernating Indiana bats in an area known
as Bat's Lodge, where they haven't been seen since
systematic surveys began in 1981.
"This is quite amazing,"
said Lori Pruitt, Indiana bat recovery coordinator for
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service who participated in
the February survey. "We have found bats back in
Bat's Lodge -- a historic hibernation area that hasn't
been used in decades." Pruitt speculates that the
absence of human disturbance associated with winter tours
may have contributed to the bats' movement into Bat's
Lodge.
Pruitt praised the Indiana DNR for
its ongoing efforts to conserve the Indiana bat. "It
appears that the reduction in disturbance during the
winter has made Bat's Lodge more suitable for hibernating
Indiana bats," Pruitt said. "We hope that
better hibernating conditions mean that more Indiana bats
will survive the winter, and more young will be produced
in the spring. We look forward to future surveys to see
if bat numbers in the Bat's Lodge area of Wyandotte Cave
increase."
Indiana bats are extremely
vulnerable to disturbance during hibernation because
arousal from hibernation can cause the animals to burn
more energy than they have stored for the winter. This
can cause bats to die before emerging in the spring to
feed on insects, or leave them unable to survive spring
migration to summer habitat.
About 31,217 Indiana bats were
counted during the latest survey, including 4,598 in
Bat's Lodge. The total is up from 28,584 found in 2001.
Historically, it is estimated that Wyandotte Cave
harbored more than a million Indiana bats during winter
months.
The Bat's Lodge area of Wyandotte
Cave is named for its historic use by hibernating Indiana
bats. An 1851 record mentions tens of thousands of bats
"suspended from the rocks in large clusters, like
bees swarming.Ó Winter cave tours Ò which began in the
1850s -- traveled through Bat's Lodge, which has a low
ceiling. Records from the 19th century
note that visitors of the time often reached up and
brushed the clusters of hibernating bats hanging
overhead.
Cave tours at Wyandotte resumed May
1 after hibernating bats exited the cave for summer
roosts in wooded areas. Pruitt said that the few bats
remaining in the cave during summer months can tolerate
disturbance far better than hibernating bats. Managed
tours do not pose a threat to the bats summering in the
cave.
"Under the DNR's new
visitation schedule, Wyandotte Cave continues to offer a
great experience for visitors, but at the same time, its
role as a high-priority hibernating cave for endangered
Indiana bats is safeguarded," Pruitt said.
"We're excited at the potential boost to this
species' recovery."
Listed as an endangered species in
1967, Indiana bats were among the first animals
identified as endangered under a law that preceded the
current Endangered Species Act. Indiana bats numbering in
the millions were once found throughout the eastern
United States, hibernating in caves and spending summer
months in forested areas. Under the Endangered Species
Act, plants and animals listed as endangered are
considered likely to become extinct in the foreseeable
future throughout all or a significant portion of their
range.
Indiana bats still occur in areas
of their former range, but their numbers have declined
significantly and are still dropping. The total
population estimate is currently about 380,000 Indiana
bats, a 60 percent drop since the 1960s. It is believed
that modification and disturbance of their hibernation
caves and loss of summer habitat have contributed to
their decline, although other factors, such as pesticide
use, are also under investigation.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
is the principal federal agency responsible for
conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and
plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of
the American people. The Service manages the
95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which
encompasses 540 national wildlife refuges, thousands of
small wetlands and other special management areas. It
also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery
resource offices and 81 ecological services field
stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws,
administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory
bird populations, restores nationally significant
fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such
as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their
conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid
program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars
in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state
fish and wildlife agencies.
-FWS-
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