White-Nose Syndrome Confirmed In Mammoth Cave NP In Two Locations
Staff at Mammoth Cave National Park in south central Kentucky say a fatal bat disease has now shown up in visitor passageways. The disease was found in remote sections of the cave system last year.
Rick Toomey, a scientist with the Resource Management Division at the park says humans are not at risk.
“The reason is the bats are being infected when their body temperatures are down around freezing and their immune system is turned off, which happens in hibernation.," he said. "Since people never get body temperatures down that low, the fungus won’t grow on people.”
There are no plans to alter tours or research at Mammoth Cave. White Nose Syndrome first showed up in the U.S. in 2005. The first reported case in Kentucky was two years ago in Trigg County.
EDIT
http://wkms.org/post/white-nose-syndrome-shows-mammoth-cave-national-park
