Wednesday, December 16, 2009
The NYS DEC released a report today on the impact of white-nose syndrome on local bat populations, based on information gathered in early 2009... and the news is definitely bad. On the average bat populations were down 91% in the region that so far seems to be hardest hit by the bat die-offs, a set of caves in eastern NY, western MA, and VT. Different species have been affected at different levels, possibly because of differences in preferred hibernation environments. More detailed info can be found here.
Little Brown Bat, the most common variety in the Northeast
(photo coutesy of NH Fish & Game Dept)
White-nose syndrome (WNS) was first discovered in NY in the 2006-07 winter season when it was discovered that large numbers of hibernating bats were dying, with a white fungus circling the nose of many of the dead bats. Since then the problem has spread into neighboring areas, with confirmed cases in Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and West Virginia. While a variety of agencies are researching the problem, to date no one has found an explanation for the die-offs. It isn't clear if the fungus is actually the cause or simply an opportunistic infection; researchers are also looking at the possibility of warm weather disrupting the feeding and hibernation cycle, infection by various pathogens, and effects of pesticides on the bats' food supply. Since it is unclear what's causing the problem and how it is spread, the US Fish and Wildlife Service has requested closing many caves in the affected areas and various cave organizations have advised cavers to limit activities in some areas and disinfect their gear after use. Unfortunately, bats are migratory animals, which makes it extremely difficult to slow the spread of whatever is causing the problem, especially when we have no understanding of what's actually happening. Current estimates place the overall deaths at approximately half a million bats. More info can be found at the US Fish & Wildlife Service site.
Little brown bat with WNS (photo courtesy of the US FWS)
I know some folks would say who cares that a bunch of bats are dying - bats tend to get a pretty bad rap, after all - but this is a huge problem. Beyond the obvious issue of a large group of animals dying for unknown reasons, bats eat insects, with many species consuming their own body weight worth of bugs each night. Half a million dead bats is a lot of insects that go uneaten, which will eventually have effects on crops and people. Besides - bats are incredibly cool. (Admittedly, any critter that eats bugs gets a top grade in my book.) I love watching them flit around at dusk in the summer and I'll never understand why people freak out when one accidentally gets indoors (it's not like the bat wants to be inside, after all.) Ann and I have even talked about building a bat house for her backyard, in hopes of attracting some (and maybe cut down on the mosquito population near her house.) So my hope is that the resources that are being devoted to studying white-nose syndrome will pay off and we'll get a handle on the problem and perhaps be able to do something to help. In the meantime, let's all keep our fingers crossed for the bats in the Northeast... they need all the help they can get to survive the current winter season.
JMH
