Bats and White-nose Syndrome

 

Photo by Al Hicks; New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation   These little brown bats were observed in a New York cave and exhibit the symptoms of "white-nose syndrome."

 

Additional Photos

 

Go here for a short video about white-nose syndrome in bats. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service endangered species biologist Susi von Oettingen talks about white-nose syndrome in bats.

 

Responding to an unprecedented die-off of thousands of hibernating bats in the Northeast, biologists and researchers from around the country are working to determine the cause of death, and to assess the threat to bat populations nationwide.  The disorder, dubbed white-nose syndrome (WNS) because of the presence of a white fungus around the muzzles of some affected bats, is a major concern to the bat conservation community.  It is unknown if the fungus is contributing to the deaths or whether it is a symptom of another problem.  Human health implications are not known; there is no information indicating that people have been affected after visiting sites where WNS has been found.

 

White-nose syndrome was first detected at caves and mines in New York last winter, where it is believed to be associated with the deaths of approximately 8,000 to 11,000 bats.  This winter, WNS has again been found at the previously affected sites, and has spread to additional sites in New York as well as sites in Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. Approximately 400,000 to 500,000 bats hibernate at affected sites.

 

Wildlife managers are concerned about the outbreak because bats congregate by the thousands in caves and mines to hibernate during winter months.  If WNS is caused by an infectious agent, this behavior increases the potential that the disease will spread among hibernating bats.  In addition, hibernating bats disperse in spring and migrate, sometimes hundreds of miles away, to spend the summer. 

 

Most bats with WNS are little brown bats, but endangered Indiana bats have also died, raising concerns about the impacts on a species already at risk.  Other affected bat species include the eastern pipistrelle, the northern long-eared bat, and the small-footed bat.

 

Indiana bats, protected by the federal Endangered Species Act, as well as state laws, range across much of the eastern United States.  Indiana supports the largest hibernating population of the species.  About 238,000 Indiana bats, approximately 46 percent of the total population, winter in Indiana caves.  Another 15 states have populations of hibernating Indiana bats.

 

Indiana State University’s Center for North American Bat Research and Conservation has established a fund for research and response activities related to WNS – information is available at http://www.indstate.edu/ecology/centers/bat.htm. In addition, Bat Conservation International has established a Fund for White-nose Syndrome Research.  Information is available at www.batcon.org.

 

What is the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service doing to help?

The focus of current efforts among conservation agencies and organizations is on determining the cause of bat deaths.  Until the cause is known, it is not possible to determine how the ailment is spread and evaluate possible treatments.  The Service is working closely with the affected states, where biologists are investigating the geographic extent of the outbreaks and collecting samples of affected bats.  Many laboratories, including government, university and private facilities, are coordinating their efforts to analyze samples to help determine the cause of the bat deaths.   

 

In addition, the Service is developing a geographic database to track the location of sites where WNS has been found, and is collecting information at each site, such as the number of bats affected.  This information will be critical in tracking the extent and spread of WNS and in coordinating research efforts.  The Service is also partnering with the Northeastern Cave Conservancy to track movements of cavers that have visited affected sites in New York (see http://www.necaveconservancy.org/default.php).

 

Message to Cavers

The Service applauds the caving community’s strong conservation ethic and long-time support of bat conservation efforts, and we ask for your continued cooperation and assistance as we address white-nose syndrome. 

 

It is more important than ever that cavers continue to observe all existing seasonal cave closures at known Indiana bat hibernacula, and when possible, to avoid caves or passages of caves containing large hibernating populations of any bat species.  The Service is not encouraging individual cavers or caving groups to systematically search for bats with white-nose syndrome in caves or mines.

 

If, while caving this winter, you observe a hibernating bat with a white muzzle or other odd white, fungus-like patches, please follow the interim guidelines below.

• Do not touch any bats (living or dead), especially those with a white muzzle/nose.
• If you have a camera with you, please take a few photographs of the potentially affected bat(s).
• Exit the cave immediately, avoiding contact with other bats, and please do not enter any other caves prior to reporting your potential WNS observations to your state fish and wildlife agency or your nearest U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Field Office.
• Anyone who observes any unusual numbers of bats outside during cold weather, especially near a cave or mine where bats hibernate, is asked to report those observations as well.  An increased number of bats flying outside and increased reports of dead bats in the vicinity of hibernacula have been observed in affected areas in the Northeast. 

For Individuals Who Have Caved or Plan to Cave in the Northeast

Upon exiting a cave (whether or not there are bats in the cave) in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, Vermont and adjacent states (New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island), follow the containment and decontamination procedures found on the Service’s Northeast Region web site:  http://www.fws.gov/northeast/whitenosemessage.html#containment.

 

The caving community can help in the effort to control white-nose syndrome by encouraging all cavers to adopt these precautions.  This may be important in preventing what could be a continent-wide spread of a previously unidentified pathogen to all caves and mines, and all our cave-dwelling bat populations.

 

Because clothing, footwear, and gear used in accessing a cave in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, or Vermont within the past 2 years could pose a risk of spreading the syndrome, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service advises that these items not be used when accessing caves anywhere and that these items not be transported out of these affected states — until the cause of the syndrome is identified and the effectiveness of decontamination procedures can be evaluated.  We advise that you decontaminate these items immediately (see containment and decontamination procedures at website above) and store them away, and that you thoroughly wash and decontaminate any surfaces with which these items may have come into contact (e.g., car trunk).

 

For researchers conducting bat field studies:

Region 3 Disinfection Protocol for Bat Field Studies - These protocols apply to anyone handling bats in Region 3 States (Illinois Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin) and working under a Federal Fish and Wildlife Permit (frequently referred to as a Federal Research Permit). 

 

For cave closure information and related advisories:

Some states have instituted closures and issued advisories beyond normal permanent and seasonal closures.  New York has closed all affected sites. New York, Vermont, and New Jersey have advised all individuals to stay out of all caves with bats.  Other states have instituted, or are considering instituting, closures of caves with bats and/or advisories to stay out of caves with bats.  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Northeast Regional Office is tracking cave closures in the Northeast (for more information see http://www.fws.gov/northeast/white_nose.html).  Below are links to sites with additional advisories and information about cave closures.

• National Speloeological Society: "White Nose Syndrome: A major problem for both bats and the caving community"
• Southeastern Cave Conservancy: Advisory on White Nose Syndrome
• Northeastern Cave Conservancy: "What you can do to help with the White Nose Syndrome problem"

More Information:

Bat White-Nose Syndrome: An Emerging Fungal Pathogen? Article in Science Magazine. Oct. 30, 2008

 

White Nose Syndrome: Background and Current Status. A slideshow by Al Hicks of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. (April 2008)

 

A short video about white-nose syndrome in bats. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service endangered species biologist Susi von Oettingen talks about white-nose syndrome in bats.

 

For information about the Indiana bat, click on http://www.fws.gov/midwest/Endangered/mammals/inba/index.html

 

Information on white-nose syndrome in the Northeast is available from the Service’s Northeast website www.fws.gov/northeast/white_nose.html 

 

Indiana State University - Center for North American Bat Research and Conservation: Funding for "White-Nose Syndrome" of hibernating bats

 

Bat Conservation International - Fund for white-nose syndrome research

 

Photos of bats with white-nose syndrome

 

 

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