Monday, May 5, 2008

White Nose Syndrome



“White Nose Syndrome” – What You Should Know
News Alert
04/15/2008





In 2007, a mysterious fungus was discovered growing on the muzzles of several bats hibernating in caves near Albany, NY, and the term “White Nose Syndrome” was initiated to describe this phenomenon.

Between 8,000 and 11,000 bats in one particular cave had died from this new phenomenon including the federally endangered Indiana bat.
So far, this condition has been found in bats in New York, Southwest Vermont, Northwest Connecticut and Western Massachusetts as of 04/15/2008.
What bats have been affected?

Little Brown, Indiana, Northern Long-Eared, Small-footed and Eastern Pipistrelles have been commonly affected.

Symptoms
The bats that have been found with this condition have very little fat reserves. With reduced fat reserves, their ability to survive winter hibernation dramatically is diminished. The bats have been noted hibernating closer to the cave entrance than normal. There have also been reports of bats flying in daylight, often in temperatures below freezing.

The current belief is the bats have elevated body temperatures that are causing them to move to the cooler part of the cave. With elevated temperatures, the body requires more energy and consumes the fat reserves, thus the bats are trying to find food in temperatures that do not support insect life. This flying further reduces the fat reserve and further exacerbates the problem.

Many of the bats collected showed signs of pneumonia and hemorrhaging in the lungs. The live bats found had body weights comparable to the weights bats should have when leaving the cave in the spring and will likely die before the end of winter.

Threat to Humans?
At this time we do not know if there is a health risk to humans, but the potential risks to humans are being assessed. Potential impacts on other wildlife species are not known.
Decontamination procedures and more information about this situation can be found at http://www.fws.gov/northeast/white_nose.html
Additional disease information provided by the USGS can be found at http://www.promedmail.org/pls/otn/f?p=2400:1001:::NO::F2400_P1001_BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000%2C71668
What to do if you find White Nose Syndrome
· Contact your local Department of Natural Resources bat biologist and inform them where you found the bats. Take pictures if possible. You may also email the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at WhiteNoseBats@fws.gov
· Do not touch any of the bats (living or dead), especially those with a white muzzle or nose.
· Exit the area immediately, avoiding contact with other bats.
Your local White Nose Syndrome experts are A All Amimal Control