Battling white-nose syndrome in bats

              Image: A species of Fruit bat Source of photo:http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/archives/Animal-science-blog/July-20-2007.html
To read an article entitled, "Battling white-nose syndrome in bats" please click on the following link:

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/05/29/2337052/battling-white-nose-syndrome-in.html

It is great to see the United States Federal Government getting involved in helping bats in the United States!

"White-nose syndrome (WNS) was first noted among dead and hibernating bats found in caves near
Albany, New York, by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
beginning in February 2007. Affected bats had a white substance on their face and wings.
In early 2008, “white-nosed” bats were once again seen in sites where bats hibernate
(hibernacula). Since March 2008, biologists estimate that over a million bats have died
from this disease, many of which have been little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus). White-nose
syndrome mortality has been documented in 13 states in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Midwest,
and in 2 Canadian provinces (Ontario and Quebec)."
(source:http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/disease_information/white-nose_syndrome/ )

For those of you who do not know, bats are a very essential animal in our World! These animals
pollinate  certain species of trees in this World, (and are the only pollinators for these trees: "(for
instance the the African baobab tree and the Australian ironwood. "Many important tropical 
fruits, such as wild bananas, avocados, figs and mangoes, are dispersed mostly by bats"
(source:http://wildlife.state.co.us/WildlifeSpecies/Profiles/Mammals/BatsofColorado/TheImportanceofBats.htm )  In addition, "Fruitbats also disperse plant seeds to new places and
habitats". (source:http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/mammal/eutheria/chirolh.html ) and these
species is especially important in controlling insect populations (especially insects known
to feed on human crops."In temperate and tropical ecosystems, bats are the main consumers of night-flying insects."

"Bats are also highly important in the ecology of caves. Because deep caverns receive little or no  sunlight to sustain plant life, the energy to support cave ecosystems must be delivered by animals. Because bats often use deep caverns for roost sites and may gather in large numbers, their droppings  (guano) provide energy and nutrients on which other organisms such as bacteria, insects, mice, rats and  even fish can survive. In fact, many entire cave ecosystems are the result of historical visits by bats, and  caves without bats often are biotically impoverished."   (source:http://wildlife.state.co.us/WildlifeSpecies/Profiles/Mammals/BatsofColorado/TheImportanceo fBats.htm ) Bats are another species of life on this planet which have gotten a bad rap from the media.  Sure there is a species of bat which eats blood and it is true that some bats do carry diseases, however, can you image what life would be like in the summer in your country if you could not go outside because there were so many mosquitoes and flies?  We humans also carry diseases! Please read this article, it indicates some of the myths humans have created about the bat species": http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0204/feature7/online_extra.html   Did you know that bats are the only mammals which are capable of flying? That is the truth!  Thank goodness they can otherwise we might not have any crops left due to predation from insects!  Sadly,  in some parts of the World bat populations are endangered.  "Of the forty-four species native to  North America, six are officially listed as endangered and eighteen more are candidates for listing  under the federal Endangered Species Act. The major cause of the declines in our bat populations is thought to be primarily careless destruction by human activities, including deforestation and cave or  mine closures." (source: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/bats_tx.htm   "In a paper published in the journal Science, bat researchers estimated that a single colony of 150  brown bats in the U.S. state of Indiana eats around 1.3 million pest insects a year, and that the  value of such bats to agriculture may be around $22.9 billion a year." "They criticized a lack of funds and efforts to save the bats and to find out more about  what is causing their widespread population decline. The current "wait-and-see" approach is  unacceptable, they said."   "Bats are among the most overlooked, yet economically important, non-domesticated animals in  North America, and their conservation is important for the integrity of ecosystems and in the best  interest of both national and international economies," the scientists, led by Justin Boyles of the University of Pretoria in South Africa, wrote in the journal." "The life histories of these flying, nocturnal mammals -- characterized by long generation times and low reproductive rates -- mean that population recovery is unlikely for decades or  even centuries, if at all." (source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/31/us-bats-whitenose-agriculture-idUSTRE72U5UJ20110331 )   " Nineteen species of bats have been recorded in Canada, and 17 of them are regular residents.  Bats are long-lived mammals, the current record for being a banded little brown bat from a mine in eastern Ontario that survived more than 35 year." It is interesting to note that: "Bats are not blind. The eyes of many bats that eat insects are inconspicuous, but bats see very well and use vision for many of the things they do. However, as far as we know, Canadian species use echolocation to locate their prey, and their large ears reflect the importance of sounds in their lives."  "Disturbance by people is probably one of the main threats to the survival of bats. Disturbances in nursery colonies often result in abandoned young which do not survive the experience. Disturbance during hibernation rouses bats, which in turn forces them to burn energy they otherwise would use in hibernation. One disturbance of this sort costs a little brown bat the energy that would sustain it over 60 days of hibernation. Effective conservation means protecting bat roosts from people." (source:http://www.hww.ca/hww2.asp?id=63 ) Please make sure that you do not bother roosting bats, this species is essential for the World's ecosystem! Scientists have learned that the White-nose syndrome is caused by the  fungus Geomyces destructans.  Source:   http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/31/us-bats-whitenose-agriculture-idUSTRE72U5UJ20110331 Hopefully this new research finding  will allow scientists to find a way to prevent this fungus  from developing into White-nose  syndrome!