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DNR Announces First Signs of White-nose Syndrome Found in Georgia Bats
The disease has been responsible for killing off millions of bat in surrounding states.
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources headquartered in Social Circle, the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services announced Tuesday that the deadly bat disease, white-nose syndrome, has made its way to Georgia.
Two bats with the disease were found recently at two caves in Dade County, according to a press release.
“We’ve been expecting the discovery of WNS in Georgia after it was confirmed in Tennessee and Alabama counties last season,” Trina Morris, DNR wildlife biologist said in the press release. “Still, I don’t think anyone can prepare themselves to see it for the first time.”
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This disease has already killed millions of bats in the eastern U.S., according to wildlife officials.
Officials reported that a National Park Service biologist and volunteers discovered about 15 tri-colored bats with visible white-nose symptoms in a Lookout Mountain Cave at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park late last month. On March 5, a group led by a Georgia DNR biologist discovered tri-colored bats showing visible symptoms in Sittons Cave at Cloudland Canyon State Park. A bat from each of the northwest sites was sent to the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study in Athens, which resulted in the positive confirmation of white-nose syndrome in both cases.
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While there is no evidence that it infects humans or other animals, people can carry the infected spores from cave-to-cave on clothing or gear. The name “white-nose syndrome” describes the white fungus, Geomyces destructans, often found on the muzzles, ears and wings of infected bats. Officials said it is spread mainly by bat-to-bat contact. The disease, first detected in New York in 2006, has reportedly spread to 22 states and five Canadian provinces, killing an estimated 5.7 to 6.7 million bats, including endangered species. Officials said in some caves and mines, almost 100 percent of the bats have died.
To address the threat of WNS, Georgia DNR’s Wildlife Resources Division has been conducting more surveys and have come up with a White-nose Syndrome Response plan. They have worked with cavers, cave owners and conservations to raise awareness about limiting trips into caves and following the national decontamination procedures. They ask that people read the protocols outlined in the state’s White-nose Syndrome Response Plan outlined here www.georgiawildlife.com/WNS and follow the procedures outline here (whitenosesyndrome.org) for disinfecting clothes and gear.
DNR also is urging cavers to reduce trips to Georgia caves. Sittons Cave is currently closed to the public for the winter to prevent disturbance to hibernating bats at the site. About 15 percent of Georgia’s caves are on state-managed lands.
Several Walton County homes have been plagued by bats. A story of a home in Social Circle was featured this week on WSBTV. While there are concerns about health issues when they are inside the home, bats are know to help balance the ecosystem and reduce bugs, such as mosquitoes.
The DNR gave the following information about bats in Georgia and the problems experienced so far with WNS.
The National Park Service has seen no evidence of mass mortality in bats due to WNS at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. About six dead bats were found at Sittons, although the cause of death was not determined. Researchers estimate that a third of the some 1,600 live bats seen in the cave showed signs of white-nose.
White-nose thrives in the cold, humid conditions characteristic of caves and mines used by bats. The fungus leads to bats being awakened too often from hibernation or less intense periods of torpor, causing them to use up fat reserves. The animals often starve to death, leaving caves in winter to search for insects that have not yet emerged. There is also evidence the fungus may cause some bats to die from dehydration or electrolyte imbalances. There is no known cure for WNS.
Georgia has few known large hibernacula, or hibernation areas. Yet WNS poses a significant threat to the 16 bats species in the state. Of nine species confirmed with either the disease or the fungus so far, eight are found in Georgia. Two, the Indiana and gray bats, are federally endangered species. One, the small-footed myotis, is state-listed as a species of concern.
Bats play a critical role in ecosystems, serving as a natural pest control that saves the U.S. agricultural industry at least $3 billion a year and also helping limit insects that can spread disease to people. Many bat populations are already in decline because of habitat loss. Their ability to rebound is limited by reproduction rates as low as one offspring a year.
“Some bat populations were beginning to recover due to conservation efforts to protect caves and other critical habitats,” Morris said. “WNS now threatens these populations with significant declines that they may not be able to recover from.”
According to the National Park Service Office of Public Health, WNS does not appear to pose a threat to human health since the fungus that causes the disease only grows at temperatures well below human body temperature. Yet, while people are not at risk of contracting WNS, the public is cautioned against handling bats, which can carry other diseases such as rabies.
Please contact a Wildlife Resources Division office (www.georgiawildlife.com) or – if on national parklands – the National Park Service (www.nps.gov) if you find dead bats or see bats flying outside during the day in winter months when they would usually be roosting or hibernating.
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