Stay out of caves and mines
The 3 new sites where WNS has been found are all popular geocache locations. I have been asked to inform cachers to avoid entering mines and cacves.
MEDIA RELEASE
January 23, 2012
Devastating fungal disease continues to spread among
New Brunswick Bats
New Brunswick Museum researchers have discovered that White-nose Syndrome (WNS), the devastating fungus responsible for the deaths of thousands of bats in New Brunswick in 2011, has spread to new sites. New Brunswick Museum Research Curator of Zoology, Dr. Donald McAlpine, and UNB graduate student Karen Vanderwolf, began inspection of the bat’s winter hibernation sites several weeks ago. In their first round of visits to eleven caves and abandoned mines in southeastern New Brunswick, they found that WNS has spread from a single site in Albert County to an additional three sites in Albert and Westmorland Counties. It is still early in the hibernation season and while WNS often does not become evident until later in the winter, ten to thirty percent of the bats they examined at infected sites were already showing the fluffy white fungal growth on their muzzles or white spotting on their wings. These elements are signs of the usually fatal disease.
Dr. McAlpine and Ms. Vanderwolf made the first Maritime discovery of the fungal disease, White-nose Syndrome, in New Brunswick, in March, 2011. The one infected site discovered last year housed the largest concentration of hibernating bats in New Brunswick. Of the estimated 6,000 bats in the cave, ninety percent appear to have died. Throughout eastern North America, more than 5.5 million bats have perished. Scientists in the US have suggested that the regional extinction of New Brunswick’s most common bat species, the Little Brown Bat, could occur. “It’s a wildlife tragedy” says McAlpine, “but not one without implications for humans”. Bats consume countless insect pests and US researchers have estimated that the bat die-off will cost North American agriculture $3.7 billion dollars annually.
With funding provided by the Canadian Wildlife Federation, New Brunswick Wildlife Trust Fund, US-based National Speleological Society, Parks Canada, and the New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources, McAlpine and Vanderwolf have started a multi-year program to track the spread and impact of White-nose Syndrome in NB bats. Fieldwork and investigation of bat hibernation sites will continue over the next several months, followed by analysis and documentation at the New Brunswick Museum.
Although bats themselves are undoubtedly the main vectors for the disease, the New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is urging recreational cavers to avoid entering caves and mines used by bats for hibernation. “We should do whatever we can to slow the spread of this disease” says Mary Sabine, DNR Wildlife Biologist handling the White-nose Syndrome file. “Although bats are likely the main vector, it is also likely that the disease was introduced inadvertently to North America from Europe by humans” says Ms. Sabine.
The public is encouraged to call the New Brunswick Museum (506-643-2300/1-888268-9595) or DNR Fish and Wildlife Branch (506-453-3826) if they see day-flying bats during the winter (January-April). Day-flying bats may indicate the presence of a WNS infected hibernation site in the area.
– 30 –
For further information:
| Anne McHugh |
New Brunswick Museum
Tel: (506) 643-2351
Toll-free: 1-888-268-9595
Email: Anne.McHugh@nbm-mnb.ca
Website: www.nbm-mnb.ca
I was the NBDNR rep tasked with this file while working for the province from 2005-2010 (the job now held by Ms. Sabine). It is a serious issue. No real idea of where it originated, how it is spread, or how to treat/stop it. It has only been present along the NE coastline relatively recently (since 2006) but the results are devastating. We have small hibernacula here in NB; the largest one in Albert County holds maybe 6,000-9,000 bats each winter. In NY state, where it originated, hibernacula support populations in the range of 300,000 bats-with 90% mortality from this disease.
Bats can live over 30 years, but only produce one pup per year. So it will be very hard for the population to recover quickly from this.
Hope everyone likes mosquitoes. 🙂
I hate to say it, but perhaps the virtual cache for the albert county caves (GC8C24) should be archived, or at least temporarily disabled, to discourage visitors.
White nose syndrome was brought to North America in guano imported from Spain. It was brought to attract bats to bat houses sold by wild bird stores. It should never been brought here.
We should avoid caves while hibernation is happening. Those caches should not be active during that time, but there is no threat to the bats outside it. Richard Faulkner is still bringing tourists all summer and a few geocachers are no threat beside that intrusion. We are not at threat from the fungal condition. An acceptable alteration could be to shift the virtual cache to the entrance, that would eliminate all threat to the bats.
Please do not archive them.
http://www.baymountadventures.com/Canada/Caving.htm
Great Smokey Mountains National Park WNS Video http://www.nps.gov/grsm/photosmultimedia/wns-bat-video.htm
Misha, sorry to tell you, but all research currently available says they have no idea how it arrived here in North America. Likely European origin, as they have found bats in France with the disease that seem to deal with it just fine-an adaptation to the fungus over time. But again, that is all speculation.
Regardless of the time of year, there is a wide assortment of bacteria and fungus present within a cave. Direct bat-to-bat contact results in spread of the disease, as does exposure to soil/cave walls which have the fungus present. The roll of humans in the spread of the disease is debatable, but considering the grave circumstances, a precautionary approach is necessary. Hence, the reason for cave closures throughout Northeastern US states and Canadian provinces regardless of whether bats are currently hibernating there or not.
The most comprehensive information on WNS can be found here:
http://www.fws.gov/whitenosesyndrome/
COSEWIC (the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada), the Canadian body that assesses the status of species in our nation, sent out a press release asking the Minister of Environment to issue an emergency order listing the little brown bat, tri-coloured bat, and northern long-eared bat, as endangered.
What does this mean? Once a species is listed as endangered, provisions and timelines under the Species at Risk Act kick in. They have a limited time to develop a recovery strategy for these species. What is most pertinent to cachers would be the fact that with species listed as endangered and threatened, scientists have to identify, under law, the critical habitat for the species, all threats to the habitat, and how to protect it. Bottom line: it will likely result in completely closing off all cave access.