bats in big trouble

Not everyone loves bats, but most people can appreciate the billions of bugs that bats eat! That free pest control, not to mention part of the stunning biodiversity of our planet, is now in serious danger.  For the past five years, bat colonies throughout the East have been literally wiped out by a fungal infection known as "white nose syndrome."  (One symptom of the fatal disease is a patch of white fungus on the nose and wings of the affected bats.)  At this time, little is known about how the disease got started, how it is spread, or more importantly, how to stop its spread. If wildlife biologists don't figure it out FAST, several bat species could literally go extinct in the next decade, and even common species such as the Little Brown Bat will be severely impacted.  The disease was first found in New York State, but has QUICKLY spread south and west to 16 states and Ontario, affecting nine different bat species, including the highly-endangered Indiana Bat. Sadly, many more bat species are now likely to join the "highly-endangered" list:(  The most recent cases were discovered in North Carolina and our near neighbor, Indiana.

For more information on this wildlife disease crisis, check out the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service information page, http://www.fws.gov/northeast/pdf/white-nosefaqs.pdf,  or Bat Conservation International (http://www.batcon.org/index.php/what-we-do/white-nose-syndrome.html) .  Although white-nose syndrome has not yet been found in Michigan, it is tragically only a matter of time before our bats are also threatened with this disease.  If you find a bat with a white fungal growth on its face or wings, please contact the U.S. Fish &Wildlife Service immediately.