The first-known case of white nose bat syndrome has been identified in Manitoba, the province said Friday. A researcher involved with the discovery said the devastating disease was found at the largest bat hibernation site in Manitoba and can wipe out anywhere from 30 per cent of a population to an entire cave.
The disease, a fatal fungal infection that sees bats die of starvation after waking up while they are supposed to be hibernating, was confirmed to have infected bats in the Lake St. George area.
Researchers with the University of Winnipeg’s bat lab made the discovery during annual surveillance and samples were confirmed by the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative.
“It’s sort of a horror show when you discover this disease,” said Craig Willis, a biology professor with the bat lab, saying it was found on March 27, 2018.
“When they arrived at the cave, they knew it had happened,” he said, noting that bats were flying out of the caves when there was still snow on the ground, trying to eat snow, and inside, many dead bats were visible.
Willis said they’ve been monitoring the population at the site since 2008, and since then it has generally sat around 10,000.
“At this point it’s pretty much inevitable that it will spread,” Willis said, adding that people can play a role in slowing the progression.
“Definitely keeping people out of caves,” he said, explaining that the fungus is an invasive species likely brought to North America by people, from Europe and Asia.
The disease was first found in North America in 2006 and spread from New York across the northeast U.S. and into Canada.
People can also help by reporting bat colonies to https://batwatch.ca and unusual bat deaths to the province’s Sustainable Development office.
Willis said data collected through the bat watch website can help researchers figure out what habitats bats can thrive in, which will be key to helping bats survive as the fungus spreads.
“The few bats that survive the disease, they come out in the spring,” he said. “And they’re totally out of fat, they’re in terrible shape, they have to heal their wings from the fungus growing into their skin, and they also have to reproduce.”
“So those survivors really need great habitat, to get lots of bugs to eat, but also a great roost to raise their pups.”
Willis also said there is also some research being done to see if the fungus can be wiped out from caves during seasons when bats are not hibernating.
The province said bats play an important role Manitoba’s biodiversity, “by eating insects and helping to control pests that are destructive to forestry and agriculture sectors.”
