White-nose Syndrome
White-nose Syndrome Threatens New York's Bats
White-nose Syndrome in Hailes Cave
Albany County, NY - Photo by N. Heaslip
Click Image for Larger Photo
Many thousands of hibernating bats are dying in caves and abandoned mines in New York, Massachusetts and Vermont from unknown causes, prompting an investigation by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), as well as wildlife agencies and researchers around the nation. The most obvious symptom associated with the die-off is a white fungus encircling the noses of some, but not all, of the bats. This has led to the name "white-nose syndrome", which is actually a collection of related symptoms, including a fungus. It is not clear how this fungus alone can cause bats to die, however, impacted bats deplete their fat reserves months before their normal springtime emergence from hibernation, and starve to death as a result.
Bat biologists across the country are evaluating strategies to monitor the presence of the disease and collect specimens for laboratory analysis. Biologists are taking precautions (using sanitary clothing and respirators when entering caves) to avoid unintentionally spreading a disease in the process. Bat populations are particularly vulnerable during hibernation as they congregate in large numbers in caves, in clusters of 300 individuals per square foot in some locations, making them susceptible to disturbance or disease. The vast majority of the hundreds of thousands of bats known to hibernate in New York do so in just five caves and mines. Because bats migrate hundreds of miles to their summer range, the impacts of white-nose syndrome are expected to have significant implications for bats throughout the Northeast.
Indiana bats, a state and federally endangered species, are perhaps the most vulnerable. Half the estimated 52,000 Indiana bats that hibernate in New York are located in one former mine that is now affected with white-nose syndrome. Eastern pipistrelle, northern long-eared and little brown bats are also dying. Little brown bats, the most common hibernating species in New York, have sustained the largest number of deaths.
DEC has been working with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, the Northeast Cave Conservancy and the National Speleological Society, along with researchers from universities and other government agencies to study the problem. Current information on the status of white-nose syndrome in the northeast may be found by following a link to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's white-nose syndrome web page found in the right hand column of this page.
More about White-nose Syndrome:
- Large Photo of Bats with White-nose Syndrome - White-nose Syndrome in Hailes Cave - Photo by N. Heaslip
