Bats

Image

Bats are an essential, beneficial part of our ecosystem. Bats play critical roles in insect control, plant pollination, seed dissemination and cave ecosystems. Consuming over half their body weight in insects each night, bats are the major predator of night-flying insects. Bats in the U.S. eat thousands of tons of insects nightly. Bats play a significant role in science and medicine. Research conducted on bats has enabled advancements in sonar, vaccine development, blood coagulation and artificial insemination, to name just a few. Decimation of bat populations will cause a substantial ecological ripple effect, with far reaching consequences.

White Nose Syndrome not only affects bats.

It impacts our whole ecosystem. White Nose Syndrome affects us.

Image

White Nose Syndrome (WNS) is a condition associated with the deaths of over a million bats in the U.S. and Canada. A fungus, Geomyces destructans, is considered the primary causal agent. Nine bat species have been documented with the presence of G. destructans or with clinical signs of WNS. The fungus is suspected of interrupting normal hibernation patterns in several ways including disruption of metabolic functions, excessive dehydration and depletion of fat reserves; all can lead to mid-winter deaths.

WNS was first discovered in two counties in New York in the winter of 2006-2007.  Since then, WNS has been documented in more than 50 counties in 16 states from New Hampshire to Oklahoma, and in Ontario and Quebec.  This crisis is expanding, with WNS continuing to spread west toward other extremely important bat populations.  In spring 2016 WNS was discovered in Washington State through the discovery of a nearly dead bat by a member of the public, a jump in spread of more than 1,000 air miles. The discovery of WNS on the West Coast of the United States means it’s becoming easier for WNS to spread to Alaska.

Bat-to-bat transmission is believed to be the primary vector for the spread of the fungus although human-assisted transmission of WNS is also suspected. Although WNS has not been found in Alaska yet, the little brown bat, the most common and widespread bat found in Alaska, has been hit hard by the disease elsewhere in its range. With what is known about the ecology of roosting and hibernation patterns of bats in Alaska, it is likely that discovery of WNS will occur by chance, by a member of the public accidently finding a sick or dead bat.

To find out how you can help us learn more about Alaska's bats, visit the Alaska Department of Fish and Game's webpage on bats.

Protecting Bats: Your visit to Alaska caves and other sites

To help prevent the introduction of this fungus to our state, anyone planning on visiting caves within Alaska are asked to incorporate the following protection measures.

• Do not use any clothes, footwear, equipment, ropes or other items that have been used in caves or mines elsewhere in the U.S. Lag times between exposure to the Geomyces fungus and observable symptoms may lead to a false assumption of absence.
• If use of exposed materials cannot be avoided, decontamination of that equipment is required (US Fish & Wildlife Service Decontamination Protocols). While adoption of the decontamination procedures are likely to add extra time and money and decrease the overall life expectancy of equipment; the gravity of the situation necessitates that anyone who visits caves must be willing to do everything possible to avoid potentially contributing to the further spread of the disease.
• Please check in with the local land management agency prior to your trip for any updates.

Rabies

There have been five documented cases of rabies in bats in Alaska, all in Southeast Alaska. Always wear gloves or use a plastic bag to pick-up a bat.