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White-nose syndromein bats

Frequently Asked Questions

U.S. Fish & Wildlie Service

1. What is white-nose syndrome?Hibernating bats in the northeasternUnited States are dying in recordnumbers, and we do not know the causeo the deaths. This wildlie health crisis,white-nose syndrome, is named or thewhite ungus evident on the muzzlesand wings o aected bats.

This aiction was frst documented atour sites in eastern New York in thewinter o 2006-07. Subsequently, wesaw photographs taken in February2006 o apparently aected bats at anadditional site.

WNS has rapidly spread to multiplesites throughout the northeast.Researchers associate WNS with anewly identifed ungus (Geomycessp.) that thrives in the cold and humidconditions characteristic o the cavesand mines used by bats. The ungus

could be responsible or the bat deaths,or it could be secondary to the cause.

Bats aected with WNS do not alwayshave obvious ungal growth, but theymay display abnormal behavior withinand outside o their hibernacula (cavesand mines where bats hibernate duringthe winter).

2. How is WNS is transmitted?We believe that WNS is transmittedprimarily rom bat to bat. There is astrong possibility that it may also betransmitted by humans inadvertentlycarrying the causative agent rom caveto cave on their clothing and gear.

3. Where has WNS been observed?Biologists and/or cavers havedocumented WNS in bat hibernaculain New Hampshire, Vermont, NewYork, Massachusetts, Connecticut, NewJersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia andVirginia. We expect this list o states toincrease over time.

4. What are signs o WNS?Bats may lose their at reserves, whichthey need to survive hibernation, longbeore the winter is over. They otenleave their hibernacula during thewinter and die. As winter progresses,we fnd increasing numbers o deadbats in the aected locations.

WNS may be associated with someor all o the ollowing unusual batbehavior:n White ungus, especially on the bats

nose, but also on the wings, ears ortail;

n Bats ying outside during the day intemperatures at or below reezing;

n Bats clustered near the entrance ohibernacula; and

n Dead or dying bats on the groundor on buildings, trees or other

structures.Hibernating bats may have other whiteungus not associated with WNS. I abat with ungus is not in an aectedarea and has no other signs o WNS, itmay not have WNS.

5. What should you do i you fnd dead ordying bats in winter or early spring, or iyou observe bats with signs o WNS?n Contact your state wildlie agency,

fle an electronic report in thosestates that oer this service, e-mail

U.S. Fish and Wildlie Servicebiologists at WhiteNoseBats@ws.gov, or contact your nearest Servicefeld ofce (fnd locations at http://www.ws.gov/northeast/ofces.html) to report your potential WNSobservations.

n It is important to determine the

species o bat in case it is a ederallyprotected species. Photograph thepotentially aected bats (includingclose-up shots i possible) and sendthe photograph and a report to yourcontact (above).

n I you need to dispose o a dead batound on your property, pick it upwith a plastic bag over your hand oruse disposable gloves. Place both thebat and the bag into another plasticbag, spray with disinectant, close thebag securely, and dispose o it with

your garbage. Thoroughly wash yourhands and any clothing that comesinto contact with the bat. See a shortinstructional video on our WNS Website.

n I you see a band on the wing or asmall device with an antenna on theback o a bat (living or dead), contactyour state wildlie agency or yournearest Service feld ofce as theseare tools or biologists to identiyindividual bats.

6. What species o bats are aected?Tri-colored, little brown, northernlong-eared, big brown, small-ooted andIndiana bats have died rom WNS. Bigbrown bats are typically ound in lowernumbers in the aected sites, and ewhave been ound with the signs o WNS.

7. What are the Service and otherederal and state agencies doing to fndthe cause and a cure or WNS?An extensive network o stateand ederal agencies is working toinvestigate the source, spread and

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cause o bat deaths associated withWNS and to develop managementstrategies to minimize the impacts oWNS.

The overall WNS investigation hasthree primary ocus areas: research,monitoring/management and outreach.For example, we are conductingwinter surveys to document and trackaected sites, working with the cavingcommunity and local cave owners totarget potential sites or surveys andprotective measures, and securingunding to identiy and und researchon the spread and management oWNS. In addition, the Service has aWeb page as a central repository orup-to-date inormation and links toother relevant Web sites.

8. What should cavers know and do?The Service and the states requestthat cavers observe all cave closuresand advisories and avoid caves, minesor passages containing hibernating

bats to minimize disturbance to thebats. The Service asks that cavers andcave visitors stay out o all caves in theaected states and adjoining statesto help slow the potential spread oWNS. Local and national cave groupshave also posted inormation and caveadvisories on their Web sites.

9. Does WNS pose a risk to humanhealth?Thousands o people have visitedaected caves and mines since WNSwas frst observed, and there have been

no reported illnesses attributable toWNS. We are still learning about WNS,but we know o no risk to humansrom contact with WNS-aected bats.However, we urge taking precautionsand not exposing yoursel unnecessarilyto WNS. Biologists and researchers useprotective clothing when entering cavesor handling bats in the Northeast.

10. What is the eect o WNS on bats?Some 400,000 bats have died romWNS, and there seems to be no end insight. We have seen 90 to 100 percent

mortality o bats (primarily little brownbats) at several hibernacula in NewYork, Massachusetts, Connecticutand Vermont. However, there may bedierences in mortality by site and byspecies within sites. The endangeredIndiana bat hibernates in many o

the aected sites. We are closelymonitoring Indiana bat populations inmany hibernacula and, to the extentpossible, in their summer maternitycolonies.

In New York and New England, wethink as a result o WNS, winter countso Indiana bats have declined. Duringthe winter o 2008-2009 we conductedour biennial rangewide winter counts oIndiana bats. Early results rom NewYork report signifcantly ewer bats.

In addition to the Indiana bat, WNShas reached sites that contain theendangered Virginia big-eared bat.While no Virginia big-eared bats haveexhibited signs o WNS yet, we areclosely monitoring this species.

11. Is global climate change a possiblecause o WNS?While the many possible causes o

WNS are being investigated, there iscurrently no evidence to support a linkbetween climate change and WNS.Microclimates in caves and mines wherebats hibernate have been stable duringthe time period when WNS emerged,and there are no data indicating

changes in insect prey populations inthe aected region. Potential impactso global climate change will continue,however, to be monitored as part o theinvestigation process.

For more inormation, see http://www.ws.gov/northeast/white_nose.html.

Federal Relay Serviceor the dea and hard-o-hearing1 800/877 8339

U.S. Fish & Wildlie Service1 800/344 WILDwww.ws.gov

WhiteNoseBats@ws.gov

April 2009