An epidemic of a deadly white nose fungus, affecting over 1 million bats, has been spreading across the east coast and is finding its way down to the Midwest and Southern states. Scientists and animal disease specialists are seeing a pattern in the development of White Nose Syndrome, whose most recent victim has been the bat; it is forming a mask of fungi across the face and the wings, leaving all species of bats unable to see or fly. The consistency and color of the unusual disease is still fairly unknown, as to why or how the bats are acquiring it, but specialists are almost sure it is a type of fungus that grows in cold weather environments.
The first trace of dying bats started in 2006, when recreational cavers noticed fuzzy, white muzzles on several bats in Howes Cave, outside Albany, N.Y. One of the cavers snapped a photo of a disease stricken bat, but didn’t show the authorities the picture right away. The following winter, when the bats were supposed to go into hibernation, many civilians noticed bats were flying overhead during a time when no one ever sees one out. This led to people’s suspicion as to why bats were awake during the winter time. Over the next few months, dead bat carcasses were spotted throughout neighborhood towns in front lawns and backyards. The numbers of dead bats being sent to animal control were being doubled over each passing day; everyone suspected it was just a major outbreak of rabies.
Bats haven’t been the only species of animal to be stricken with WNS; in January, just over one year ago in Alabama, Arkansas, and Louisiana droves of fish and birds were dropping dead with a mysterious blue mark along their face and body. The mark was another form of fungus that has now been linked to the fuzzy fungus epidemic we are seeing now in bats across the United States. Texas, who has a number of large caves and many bat conservations, is also being hit by WNS and is worried about the 6,000 bats that have been reported dead among numerous caves. Currently, research continues to progress, to find out why bats are now the culprit to WNS and what is mainly causing the fungus to kill not only them, but many other species of wildlife.
