By Lauren Wanko
Correspondent
Animal rescuer Jackie Kashmer examines an endangered Indiana bat once infected with the deadly white nose syndrome. This bat’s one of the lucky ones. The disease has killed more than 6 million bats throughout the eastern half of the country and is decimating populations of some cave bat species in New Jersey.
“White nose syndrome is fungus that affects hibernating bats. The fungus attacks the bats while they’re in hibernation. This is when the bat’s immune system is not functioning,” said Mick Valent, principal zoologist for the NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife.
When the fungus was first detected in New York in 2007, the mammals developed a fuzzy white growth on their muzzles. The fungus began to grow on the bat, penetrating the skin. The disease forced the bat to awaken from the hibernation state more frequently than normal. As they burned energy, the bats flew out in search of food and died of starvation. The severity of the infection has since decreased in the Garden State. At the New Jersey Bat Sanctuary, Kashmer nurses the sick bats. This is what the Indiana bat looked like in 2009. The fungus damaged the skin on the wing. Kashmer said she treated it with a diluted vinegar solution. She’s cared for more 300 infected bats over the years.
“It’s horrid just because there’s millions across the country dying,” Kashmer said.
Scientists say white nose syndrome originated overseas. It was first spotted in New Jersey in 2009 in the Hibernia and Mount Hope mines.
“Hibernia mine was the largest, had about 300,000 bats prior to white nose syndrome showing up. Now we’re at about just under 500,” Valent said.
“What I can tell you about New Jersey is that six of seven bats affected by white nose across the U.S. occur in New Jersey and three of those species are the hardest hit by white nose,” said Catherine Hibbard, white nose syndrome communications coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The little brown, tri-colored and northern long-eared bats.
“Those bats that have been affected by white nose for a while the declines are over 90 percent,” Hibbard said.
Bats can live more than 20 years. A female little brown nursing her pup can eat up to 2,500 insects per hour, including mosquitoes and crop-eating pests.
“So now not only do they eat the bugs that bother us, what about the crops? Now we’re gonna have more pesticides,” Kashmer said.
This is one of the indoor flight cages at the New Jersey Bat Sanctuary. There are about 30 white nose survivors here. They’ve all recovered but suffer permanent wing damage.
State Zoologist Mick Valent says survival rates seem to be increasing here because the severity of infection is decreasing. But little browns only produce one pup per year.
“So even with the reduced numbers, we’re seeing now even if this were to turn around and the population started to increase, it would be decades before we say the numbers anywhere approaching what we saw prior to white nose syndrome,” Valent said.
Scientists are researching treatment options. Still Valent doubts there’ll ever be a cure.