Scientists Confirm White Nose Disease In Mammoth Cave NP Bat

[hatrack]

A fungus that has killed roughly 6 million bats in North America and Canada has now been found for the first time in Kentucky's Mammoth Cave National Park, federal authorities announced Wednesday. White-nose syndrome, discovered in New York in 2006, has been confirmed in nine national parks and 19 states as far west as Missouri.

"I am incredibly sad to report this," Mammoth Cave National Park Supt. Sarah Craighead said at a news conference. "A northern long-eared bat showing symptoms of white-nose syndrome was found in Long Cave in the park. The bat was euthanized on Jan. 4 and sent for laboratory testing. Those tests confirmed white-nose syndrome."

Long Cave, an undeveloped cave about 1.3 miles long, is not connected to 390-mile long Mammoth Cave, a popular historic site visited by about 400,000 each year.

The park service will continue giving tours of Mammoth Cave, which annually generate about $3.9 million in fees from visitors. To prevent spread of the disease, the parks service screens all visitors before they go on a tour and has them walk across decontamination mats as they exit, Craighead said.

EDIT

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bats-20130117,0,5569095.story

[d_r]

1. sucks.

Terrible for the bats.

For people, the loss of so many bats combined with warmer winters and wetter summers is going to equal skeeter season.

[stuntcat]

2. the bats eat lots of moths too

which lowers the number of grubs in the soil eating the roots of important plants.