暗黑爆料 Brief
A westward-spreading fungal infection is decimating yet another bat species that federal officials are to list as endangered.
鈥淭he endangered listing basically, under the (Endangered Species) Act, means that the species is in danger of extinction now,鈥� said Georgia Parham, a spokesperson with the Fish and Wildlife Service.
The northern long-eared bat鈥檚 range only extends westward to Montana and Wyoming in the Mountain West 鈥� but even there, is killing them. The bat was previously listed as 鈥渢hreatened,鈥� but its numbers continue to drop.
According to the Fish and Wildlife Service, white-nose syndrome is expected to affect all of the northern long-eared bat鈥檚 U.S. range by 2025. WNS has caused estimated declines of 97- 100% of affected northern long-eared bat populations.
This is beyond just this one kind of bat, though. other species of hibernating bats around the region could be susceptible to the infection. There have cases in cave bats in New Mexico. That鈥檚 terrible news given how deadly the infection can be.
found that the infection reduced three bat species' populations by more than 90% within just seven years of first detecting WNS.
Jonathan Reichard is a white-nose syndrome expert with the Fish and Wildlife Service. He hopes the disease slows down in the mountains because the bats in those areas may not travel as long of distances through the rough terrain.
鈥淲e still expect it to be moving through that area, but it might just happen at a much slower pace,鈥� he said.
Reichard said experts aren鈥檛 sure yet how the infection will affect many of the bat species in the Mountain West, partially because the disease is newer to the area, and partially because researchers haven鈥檛 found many large winter colonies in the region to keep track of the populations.
鈥淭he large winter colonies just aren鈥檛 found. They鈥檙e either absent or they鈥檙e so hidden that we don鈥檛 see them. Not for lack of trying, just for lack of finding,鈥� he said.
Reichard said vaccines and treatments are being developed to protect bats from the infection, and that there are also and international efforts to keep an eye out for the spread of the disease (including the , based in Fort Collins, Colo.).
Bats are an important part of the ecosystem, helping control pest populations, which can in turn stem diseases and help agriculture. If you see dead bats, or bats behaving strangely, contact your state wildlife officials.
To comment on the proposal to list the species as endangered, go .
This story was produced by the Mountain West 暗黑爆料 Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, the O'Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West in Montana, KUNC in Colorado, KUNM in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West 暗黑爆料 Bureau is provided in part by the .
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