[Ferretlover]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '[')b]DEC Asks For Cavers' Help to Prevent Spread of "White Nose Syndrome"
Thousands of hibernating bats are dying in caves in New York 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 involved in the die-off is a white fungus encircling the noses of some, but not all, of the bats. Called "white nose syndrome," the fungus is believed to be associated with the problem, but it may not necessarily contribute to the actual cause of death. It appears that the impacted bats deplete their fat reserves months before they would normally emerge from hibernation, and die as a result.
Until researchers understand the cause and how it is spread, state environmental officials and caving organizations are asking people not to enter caves or mines with bats until further notice to avoid the possible transfer of the disease from cave to cave. Vermont officials are making a similar request.
"What we've seen so far is unprecedented,'' said Alan Hicks, DEC's bat specialist. "Most bat researchers would agree that this is the gravest threat to bats they have ever seen. We have bat researchers, laboratories and caving groups across the country working to understand the cause of the problem and ways to contain it. Until we know more, we are asking people to stay away from known bat caves." …

[Tanada]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'M')ANITOWOC - It’s a population most of us don’t think much about, but the number of bats in Wisconsin is taking a nose dive.

Environmentalists attribute the sudden loss to white-nose syndrome, a fatal disease that’s passed from bat to bat.

The deadly disease traveled east to Wisconsin in about 2014, and some counties have lost an estimated 90 percent of their bat population.

Manitowoc County also has seen a drop, and officials at the Woodland Dunes Nature Center are helping state wildlife experts track the number of bats in the area.

The Two Rivers nature center is among 30 sites throughout Wisconsin voluntarily monitoring bats for the state Department of Natural Resources. Jessica Johnsrud, assistant director and education coordinator for the center, tracks bats five times throughout the summer for the DNR and the federal government. She also hosts information meetings and bat walks for the public, the next in early October.

Four hibernating bats in Wisconsin are affected by white-nose, including little brown, big brown, tricolor and Northern long-eared.

“We mainly have little brown and big brown bats in Manitowoc,” Johnsrud said. “The numbers are pretty low.”

White-nose syndrome was first detected in the state of New York in the winter of 2006-07 and has since spread to 31 states and five Canadian provinces, according to J. Paul White, conservation biologist with the DNR.

The disease is named for the white fungus that infects the muzzle, ears and wings of hibernating bats.

Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Wildlife Health Center discovered and named the fungus that causes the disease and pioneered lab techniques for studying the effects of fungus on hibernating bats.

No known cure exists for the disease, but experts are working on a vaccine that may protect bats.

Humans may also unknowingly spread the fatal fungus, White said.