White-nose Syndrome (WNS): An Emergent Threat to Bats in North America
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White-nose Syndrome (WNS): An Emergent Threat to Bats in North America Jeremy T. H. Coleman, PhD, Robyn A. Niver, and Susanna L. von Oettingen, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Scott R. Darling, Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department May 1, 2009
description
White-nose Syndrome (WNS): An Emergent Threat to Bats in North America. Jeremy T. H. Coleman, PhD, Robyn A. Niver, and Susanna L. von Oettingen, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Scott R. Darling, Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department May 1, 2009. Wildlife Health Crisis. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Transcript of White-nose Syndrome (WNS): An Emergent Threat to Bats in North America
White-nose Syndrome (WNS):
An Emergent Threat to Bats in North America
Jeremy T. H. Coleman, PhD, Robyn A. Niver, and Susanna L. von Oettingen,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and
Scott R. Darling, Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department
May 1, 2009
Wildlife Health Crisis
• Over 90% mortality at affected sites
• Spreading rapidly
• All 6 northeastern cave bat species affected
• 1 Federally listed species
What is WNS?
Clinical signs:Clinical signs:• A white fungus evident on the nose, ears, or wings of most affected animals
• Wing damage
• Depleted body fat
Jonathan Reichard
Abnormal behavior:Abnormal behavior:
• Bats flying outside in daylight
• Dead bats near cave entrances or on landscape
Behavioral signsBehavioral signs
2007 - 1 state, 4 sites
2008 - 4 states, 38 sites
2009 – 9 States, 65+ Sites
Why are bats vulnerable?
Cave hibernators:Cave hibernators:
• Clustering behavior promotes Clustering behavior promotes pathogen transmissionpathogen transmission
• Limited energy resources during Limited energy resources during hibernationhibernation
Anthropogenic
Transmission:Bat-to-bat
Little brown bat movement to summer colonies from Mt. Aeolus, VT hibernaculum
Geographic Spread
Geographic Spread
Transmission:Anthropogenic
•May be spread by human activity
•FWS has requested voluntary ban on caving
Year 2007 2008 2009
Indiana bats
13,014 124 Apparently Unchanged
Williams Preserve, Rosendale, NY
Greeley MineStockbridge, VT
Year No. Bats
2005 1080
Nov. 2008
615
March 2009
33
Old MineChester, MA
Year No. Bats
2008 Est: 10,500
February 2009
1013
March 2009
46
Jonathan Reichard Alan Hicks
Aeolus CaveDorset, VT
Mortality too great to survey 2008-09
Why care about bats?
Bats comprise 1/5 of the world’s mammal species
Bats are the primary night-time predators of insects
Biological Consequences
Bats have extremely low reproductive rates (live for over 20 years and have only one pup per year)
Citizen Concerns
Reports of bats observed:
• Flying during winter days
• Landing on buildings, roofs, windows
• Struggling to fly
• Dying on the ground
Lots of Media Interest
• The New York Times• The Boston Globe• Los Angeles Times• Washington Post• BBC• CBC• Vermont Public Radio• The New Yorker• National Geographic• USA Today• CBS Evening News
• Voice of America• Canadian Public Radio• National Public Radio• Der Spiegel• Brattleboro Reformer• Yankee Magazine• FOX• Bennington Banner• Rutland Herald• Burlington Free Press
50+ partners from Federal and 50+ partners from Federal and State agencies, NGOs, and State agencies, NGOs, and academia working on: academia working on:
• Monitoring/ManagementMonitoring/Management
• ResearchResearch
• OutreachOutreach
Outreach• www.fws.gov/northeast/white_nose.html• Media response and public inquiry response• Video production• Briefings• Presentations• Stakeholder engagement• WNS display and materials
Radio-Canada-Television. documentary, VT
Funded Projects
Research support
• Immune response
• Investigation of Geomyces fungus
• Hibernation studies
• Population (local and rangewide) level impacts
– Pre-WNS baseline monitoring
– Demographic modeling
– Impacts to bats on summer range
• Contaminants
Planning efforts
