She got up, turned on the light and saw the shadow again, flying down the hall, around her condo and back again.

A bat. With a 10-inch wingspan. Hawthorne thinks it was a little brown bat, “the color of coffee with cream in it.” A gap next to a vent may have been its point of entry.

Hawthorne has no aversion to bats, rather a “long and deep affection,” she said, and “respect, but no fear,” which developed from her reading Randall Jarrell’s “The Bat-Poet” as a youngster.

“I didn’t want it hurt or frightened,” she said. Realizing that the bat was too fast and agile for her to capture, she opened a window and took out the screen.

“The second that air change happened,” she said, “the bat flew out my window.”

The next day, she related the tale to a biologist friend, who was disturbed that Hawthorne had let the bat escape. The animal should have been tested for rabies.

“Thus began my advanced education on bats in the bedroom,” said Hawthorne, an editorial and documentary photographer who lives on Capitol Hill.

Bat bites are rarely felt. Unlike the vampire bats of South America, which slash the skin with dagger teeth and lap up blood, the bats in Washington have tiny teeth, which might leave little if any mark. “We could have been bedfellows for up to four hours,” Hawthorne said, “raising the possibility that I was bitten.”

A small percentage of bats carries the rabies virus. Of all weak and sick bats captured and tested for the disease, only about 6 percent have the virus. But 90 percent of human rabies cases in the United States (about one or two per year) originate from contact with bats. Some cases involved were of sleeping people who didn’t know they were bitten.

Rabies cannot be transmitted by contact with bat guano, blood or urine or by touching a bat’s fur. Only saliva or neural

tissue is infectious. If either of those enters the body via the mouth, eyes or nose or through a wound such as a bite, a person could be in jeopardy.

The chances are fairly high that Hawthorne’s visitor wasn’t rabid and that she wasn’t bitten — but the chances that she could survive a bout with rabies are practically zero.

Realizing that she needed urgent medical care, Hawthorne sought treatment at an emergency room.

“I had to talk my way in,” she said, “because I didn’t have a wound.”

She began receiving a series of vaccinations. The treatment is “not as bad as it once was,” she said, “but stunningly expensive.”

When Hawthorne was first reading “The Bat-Poet” in the 1960s, rabies shots were almost as frightening as the disease. The treatment consisted of an agonizing series of more than 20 injections from a large needle through the wall of the abdomen.

Although that option still exists, a newer method is preferred by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Within 10 days of exposure, a patient initially receives several shots of human rabies immunoglobulin at the site of the bite (if it’s known) and into muscle. The immunoglobulin binds to and disables rabies virus particles. At the same time, the patient gets a shot of rabies vaccine into the shoulder muscle, which is followed by another three vaccine injections over a 14-day period. The vaccine stimulates the body to produce its own immunoglobulin.

Although the vaccinations are supposed to be only as painful as a flu shot, their cost can sting, adding up to thousands of dollars. “A pretty cheap price for a life,” Hawthorne admitted.

Her initial seven immunoglobulin shots weren’t all that comfortable. It felt like “sitting on a nest of yellow jackets,” Hawthorne said. She also experienced side effects, or, as she calls it, “rabies lite”: aches, fever, nausea and

nightmares for a few days after each shot. “I pretty much spent three weeks to a month on the sofa with bad TV and atrophy.”

Hawthorne wishes that she had known more about bat risks and rabies: “I think of myself as ‘nature-savvy’ and levelheaded, but nonetheless I managed this badly,” she said before speaking up for bats: “Remember that bats are protected — and are now in peril from white-nose syndrome. They are marvelous animals.”

Anyone finding a bat at home is advised to close the doors leading to the room and contact animal control to remove the bat. If the animal had access to a bedroom overnight, alert the local health department that the bat needs testing for rabies. A negative result could prevent unnecessary distress, pain and financial hardship.

Taken from the Washington Post May 12, 2013

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/metro/urban-jungle/pages/130507.html#

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Medstar Georgetown University Hospital, North Dakota Department of Health

September 21, 2012 / 61(37);747-748

On June 21, 2012, the Douglas County Health Department (DCHD) in Omaha, Nebraska, was notified of an acute respiratory illness cluster among 32 counselors at city-sponsored day camps. Laboratory-confirmed histoplasmosis was diagnosed in one camp counselor. DCHD and the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (NDHHS) investigated the extent and source of the outbreak to prevent further infections.

Histoplasmosis is a common fungal infection in the United States (1) and is a cause of respiratory illness outbreaks in endemic areas, which include areas in the midwestern states, and particularly the Mississippi and Ohio River valleys (2). Illness usually is acquired from inhalation of soil contaminated with bird or bat droppings (2); human-to-human transmission does not occur. Symptoms include fever, headache, and respiratory symptoms, although infected persons can remain asymptomatic (2). Most patients will recover regardless of treatment, but severe disease can lead to respiratory failure and should be treated; immunocompromised patients are at high risk for developing histoplasmosis that spreads throughout the body (2).

All camp counselors and camp attendees’ parents were informed of the outbreak. Counselors were requested to complete a questionnaire to report their demographic information, activities, campsite assignments, and symptoms. All camp attendees’ parents were administered a separate Internet-based questionnaire regarding their child’s week of attendance and symptoms. Campsite assignments were obtained from camp administrators.

Serum and urine samples from all counselors were tested by enzyme immunoassay for Histoplasma capsulatum antigen to detect active infection. Parents of all attendees were mailed a letter explaining the symptoms of histoplasmosis, treatment and testing indications, and that testing could be performed free of charge if they desired.

A confirmed case of histoplasmosis was defined as a serum or urine test positive for H. capsulatum, regardless of the person’s symptoms, at any time after that person’s arrival at camp. A suspected case was defined as illness comprising self-reported fever and at least one additional symptom (headache, chest pain, shortness of breath, or cough) in a camp counselor or attendee, beginning ≥3 days after camp arrival during May 21–June 27, 2012, regardless of that person’s test results.

Among the 32 counselors, 19 (17 confirmed, two suspected) (59%) had illness meeting the case definition, 11 (34%) were symptomatic with fever and at least one additional symptom, and 10 (31%) sought medical care for their symptoms. No hospitalizations or deaths occurred. Median age of the counselors was 20 years (range: 18–23 years). No specific activities or campsite assignments were associated with illness when confirmed and suspected cases were combined; however, when suspected cases were excluded, digging fire pits was associated with increased risk for illness among persons with confirmed illness (risk ratio [RR] = 2.7; Fisher’s exact test p-value = 0.01).

Camp activities had occurred in a wooded park with 12 campsites, nine of which were open, dirt-floor shelters with roofs supported by posts. During May 21–May 25, counselors participated in a precamp clean-up week. Activities included raking leaves, cleaning picnic tables, digging fire pits, and moving firewood; counselors did not wear personal protective equipment while cleaning. They reported observing bat guano on picnic tables and dirt floors in two of the shelters. Day camps began on June 4, 2012, each lasting from Monday through Friday. Campers were aged 6–14 years (median: 9 years); each was assigned to one campsite, where activities included cooking on wood-fired grills and eating at picnic tables. Camp activities included nature walks, outdoor games, wilderness skill training, archery, and arts and crafts; all campers participated in these activities, but none participated in high-risk activities (e.g., digging in dirt, digging fire pits, raking leaves, or cleaning campsites).

Of 797 children attending camps, questionnaires were completed on 142 (18%), and laboratory testing was performed on 21 (3%). Laboratory or questionnaire data were obtained for 153 (19%) children, of whom 17 (11.1%) had illness meeting the case definition for histoplasmosis (five confirmed, 12 suspected). A multilevel logistic regression model with a random effect for campsite was used to compare illnesses among 18 children assigned to the two campsites where guano was identified, 32 children assigned to two campsites ≤20 yards from campsites with guano, and 92 children assigned to eight campsites ≥21 yards from campsites with guano (referent group). Compared with the referent group, children assigned to campsites with guano had 2.4 times the odds of illness (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.5−11.4), and children assigned to campsites ≤20 yards from campsites with guano had 2.2 times the odds of illness (95% CI = 0.5−8.2). A decreasing trend in illness occurred with increasing distance from campsites with guano (Cochran-Armitage test p-value = 0.04).

During a visit by DCHD and NDHHS personnel on June 26, 2012, bat guano was noted on picnic tables and dirt floors at two campsites. At that time, DCHD and NDHHS recommended closing these campsites, and the areas were fenced off. Soil samples of all campsites, and other areas of the park were obtained for Histoplasma testing; results are pending.

The probable infection source in this outbreak was campsite contamination of soil and picnic tables by bat guano, which likely became aerosolized during camp activities or clean-up before camper arrival. No other potential sources of infection were identified. Subsequent to this investigation, the city parks and recreation division relocated the day camp to a different park. The health department provided recommendations to the city’s parks and recreation division regarding prevention of bat roosting, procedures for inspecting and identifying potentially contaminated areas, and procedures to mitigate biohazardous sites contaminated with Histoplasma (3). Persons living in endemic areas should be aware that exposure to aerosolized soil or guano in sites with bird or bat droppings can lead to histoplasmosis, should avoid such exposures, and should seek professional assistance for cleanup efforts.

Reported by

Anne O’Keefe, MD, Justin Frederick, MPH, Bonnie Harmon, MSN, Douglas County Dept of Health; Tom Safranek, MD, Nebraska Dept of Health and Human Svcs. Bryan F. Buss, DVM, Career Epidemiology Field Officer Program, Office for Public Health Preparedness and Emergency Response. Benjamin J. Park, MD, Div of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases; Kristin Yeoman, MD, EIS Officer, CDC.Corresponding contributor: Kristin Yeoman, vij6@cdc.gov, 402-471-1376.

References

1. Chu JH, Feudtner C, Heydon K, Walsh TJ, Zaoutis TE. Hospitalizations for endemic mycoses: a population-based national study. Clin Infect Dis 2006;42:822–5.
2. Kauffman CA. Histoplasmosis: a clinical and laboratory update. Clin Microbiol Rev 2007;20:115–32.
3. CDC. Histoplasmosis: protecting workers at risk. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC; 2004. Available athttp://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2005-109. Accessed August 23, 2012.

ll MMWR HTML versions of articles are electronic conversions from typeset documents. This conversion might result in character translation or format errors in the HTML version. Users are referred to the electronic PDF version (http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr) and/or the original MMWR paper copy for printable versions of official text, figures, and tables. An original paper copy of this issue can be obtained from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), Washington, DC 20402-9371; telephone: (202) 512-1800. Contact GPO for current prices.

**Questions or messages regarding errors in formatting should be addressed to mmwrq@cdc.gov.

The bat maternity season is significant for two reasons:

1. Since the young bats, called “pups” may not be too adept at flying, some of them end up on the ground in their early efforts. IN all probability, they are not ill; they just don’t have their flight skills perfected yet.
2. In addition, sometimes the mother bat actually carries the young with her as she flies. However, because of the extra weight she is carrying in the form of the pups, she may occasionally make a crash landing and rest awhile.

Though either of these “maternity” scenarios can result in a healthy bat’s being “grounded” or “downed” we cannot be completely sure that any bat within reach of a human or pet is not ill. Therefore, it is important to educate your citizens/clients about the need to avoid direct contact with any bat.

If a bat comes into contact with a person, either by flying into the person, landing on the person or by being picked up or handled by the person, the person should try to capture the bat without further skin contact, so it can be tested for rabies. If available, an adult should carry out the capture. Contact animal control or a veterinarian to have the bat tested. There may be a cost to the person wanting the bat tested; however, it is certainly work the money, if the bat has had contact with a person or a pet. If the bat is not available for testing, the person should speak with a physician or health department to assess the exposure.

If a person finds a “downed” bat or a bat in a building, there has been NO human or pet exposure, and an adult is available and willing to do so, capture the bat and release it outside in an area distant from people and off the ground.

Do NOT touch the bat with bare hands. Wear gloves and simply cover the bat with a small box or empty coffee can and slide a stiff piece of cardboard underneath so the4 bat is trapped inside the box or can. Some bats needs to be above ground to take flight, so moving the bat to a tree will help the bat be on its way. While still wearing your gloves, you can remove the cover and place the box on its side in a tree. The bat may immediately fly or crawl out of the box onto the branches, or it may not fly away until dark. If the bat appears to be injured, you can contact animal control for help in disposing of the bat. If you would like to try to have the bat rehabilitated, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has information on state permitted wildlife rehabilitators.

Remember that a bat may look dead, but “come to life” when disturbed. Therefore, use precaution when picking up any bat.

The other point associated with the bat maternity season concerns excluding or evicting bats from a building attic or other roost in which the bats have taken up residence. Now is not an ideal time to do exclusion because the young are not yet able to fly. If you do exclusion (bat eviction) now, the adults will be able to get out, but the young will not. The pups will be trapped inside and will die. Bat exclusion is best carried out in early spring (before maternity season) or in the fall (after August) when the young bats are able to fly well.

Even during the maternity season, if a building has bats in its walls or attic, we do not want them to be lost and come into pasts of the building that people use. Therefore, any openings (they may be very tiny ¼ inch) that connect areas in a building where bats roost with interior living or working quarters should be sealed shot so that bats cannot enter those sections.

One other reminder: Bats like to swoop down and grab a drink from standing water, such as a farm pond or swimming pool. They are not attacking people in or around the pond or pool. They are just looking for a drink. If a bat’s sonar navigation is “off” because it is ill, the cat could end up crashing into the pool. A homeowner sometimes finds a dead bat floating in the pool or in the pool’s skimmer. IN either case, the possibility of a dead bat in the pool resenting a health risk to people who might swim in the pool is remote. There are several reasons for low risk:

1. The rabies virus does not live well outside the host animal. Therefore, if a dead bat floating in a pool had rabies, the virus would not live very long after the bat died.
2. The dilution factor of a small amount of virus in the large volume of water in the pool would reduce any risk.
3. The relatively high concentration of chlorine in the pool water would inactivate the virus.

Submitted by: James Wright, DVM, MPVM, retired regional zoonosis veterinarian for TX DSHS, Tyler, TX

From Discovery News

New clues are helping explain the mysteries surrounding white-nose syndrome, a devastating epidemic that has killed more than five and a half million bats in the eastern United States and Canada in just a few years.

In the latest advance, the strongest evidence yet suggests that infection with a suspected fungus causes the deadly disease. What’s more, the fungus appears to have traveled to North America from Europe, most likely on a human shoe.

Follow this link for the full story and to watch a short video about bats hanging upside down.

http://news.discovery.com/animals/bats-fungus-120409.html?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pulsenews#mkcpgn=rssnws1

Vampire bats may be on the way.

Once only seen in the U.S. in horror films, vampire bats are expanding their range in Mexico as a result of climate change, and computer models indicate they could become year-round Texas residents within 50 years. For Ivan Castro-Arellano, a biologist and wildlife disease expert in the Department of Biology at Texas State University-San Marcos, the concern is that Texas’ increasingly warmer winters might allow the damaging pest to expand into the state well ahead of schedule. Castro-Arellano is one of more than 40 scientists throughout the Texas State University System working through the Institute for the Study of Invasive Species in Huntsville to study and develop strategies to deal with invasive species across the state.

To read more check out the San Marcos Mercury

White-nose syndrome (WNS) is decimating bat populations across eastern North America, with mortality rates reaching up to 100 percent at many sites. First documented in New York in 2006, the disease has spread quickly into 16 states and four Canadian provinces. Bats with WNS exhibit unusual behavior during cold winter months, including flying outside during the day and clustering near the entrances of caves and mines where they hibernate. Bats have been found sick and dying in unprecedented numbers near these hibernacula.

“This startling new information illustrates the severity of the threat that white-nose syndrome poses for bats, as well as the scope of the problem facing our nation. Bats provide tremendous value to the U.S. economy as natural pest control for American farms and forests every year, while playing an essential role in helping to control insects that can spread disease to people,” said Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan
Ashe. “We are working closely with our partners to understand the spread of this deadly disease and minimize its impacts to affected bat species.”

Estimating the total number of bat deaths has been a difficult challenge for biologists. Although consistent population counts for federally listed endangered bats, like the Indiana bat, have been a priority for state and federal biologists, establishing population counts of once “common” bat species, like little brown bats, was historically not the primary focus of seasonal bat population counts.

“White-nose syndrome has spread quickly through bat populations in eastern North America, and has caused significant mortality in many colonies,” said National WNS Coordinator, Dr. Jeremy Coleman, “Many bats were lost before we were able to establish pre-white-nose syndrome population estimates.”

More than 140 partners, including tribal, state and federal biologists and bat researchers convened in Carlisle, Pennsylvania for the 2012 Northeast Bat Working Group (NEBWG) meeting last week to discuss challenges facing bat research, management and conservation. Coordinating with wildlife officials in Canada, the group discussed population-level impacts to hibernating bats and developed the estimate of bats lost to WNS.

Inconsistent data collection

In addition to the lack of population data for many bat species, there has also been a lack of consistency in how bat population data was reported among agencies. As part of the May 2011 national WNS response plan, which was developed by the Service in partnership with a team of federal, state, tribal, and NGO scientists, agencies are addressing this by establishing methods for consistent data collection.

The National Plan for Assisting States, Federal Agencies and Tribes in Managing White-Nose Syndrome in Bats provides a framework for the coordination and management of the national WNS investigation response, and the Service leads an extensive network of partners in implementing the plan.

The Service serves as the primary resource for up-to-date information and recommendations for all partners, such as important decontamination protocols for cave researchers and visitors and a cave access advisory that requests a voluntary moratorium on activities in caves in affected states to minimize the potential spread of WNS.

In addition to developing science-based protocols and guidance for land management agencies and other partners to minimize the spread of WNS, the Service has funded numerous research projects to support and assess management recommendations and improve our basic understanding of the dynamics of the disease.

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a
leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals, and commitment to public service.

Mark Item As: News
User-Submitted Content Status: Accepted
Source URL: http://westernfarmpress.com/management/us-bat-population-decimated-white-nose-syndrome

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — They’re baaack.  Bats are lurking in a Charlotte high school and it’s not the first time.

Students first spotted one bat in a classroom at North Mecklenburg High School before Christmas break. The building was evacuated and the problem was supposedly taken care of.  But Monday morning before school, a staffer found another one.

The N Hall is a building on campus that normally houses six classes. It’s closed and quarantined after the health department removed eight bats from inside.

Senior Guy McCrary admitted he’s grossed out.  Other students are, too. But they’re not surprised because North Mecklenburg High is 60-years-old.

“It does freak you out.  Bats, rabbits, cockroaches, mice—what’s next,” he added.

“They keep finding more and more.  I don’t feel safe with my daughter back in that hall,” said one student’s mother, who did not want to be identified.

Principal Matt Hayes says when they closed the hole the first time around, some bats were trapped inside.

“By closing the hole, other bats were hiding.  We had bats hiding.  Now that we closed the hole they don’t have an exit point,” he said.

Instead, he says there is a one-way door to flush them out.  In addition, CMS has removed all ceiling tiles to verify there are no other holes.

The problem, they say, is that bats only need a hole the size of a nickel to squeeze through.  A private pest control company is working with CMS to get rid of the bats and students are expected to be allowed back in those classrooms on Monday.

A health department spokesman says they tested one bat and it came back negative for rabies. He says they don’t have to test all of the bats because no one came in contact with the others.

When: Wednesday, April 27, 2011 8:30 AM to 4:15 PM (1 hour lunch on own)
Where: Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center,6500 Amarillo Blvd West, Amarillo, TX 79106
Cost: FREE

Six hours of continuing education credit are approved for animal control officers and sanitarians for this class. Peace officers can receive TCLEOSE credit but must submit their own forms. CE is also being sought for veterinarians.

If you have questions about this seminar, you may contact Karen McDonald at 806/783-6422, or Dr. James Alexander and Suzan Norwood at 806/655-7151. This seminar is free and walk-ins are welcome. We would, however, like to have an estimate of attendance in order to prepare handouts for the sessions. If you plan to attend, please fill out and return the bottom portion of this form to:

Texas Department of State Health Services
Zoonosis Control Program HSR 1
WTAMU Box 60968
300 Victory Drive
Canyon TX 79016

Or fax the form to (806) 655-7159
The following individual(s) plan to attend the Bats and Rabies Seminar at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center, 6500 Amarillo Blvd West in Amarillo, Wednesday April 27, 2011.
Please submit the name, agency +/or city, and telephone number of the attendant(s) below.

________________________________________________________________________________

Below is the agenda

8:30 am Welcome and Introductory Comments

8:45 am Bat Biology Janet Hurley, MPA
Extension Program Specialist
School Integrated Pest Management
Texas AgriLife Extension Service
9:45 am Break

10:00 am Managing and Excluding Bats Janet Hurley

11:00 am Rabies: The Disease James Alexander, DVM, MPVM
Zoonosis Control Veterinarian, HSR 1

12:00 pm Lunch (on your own)

1:00 pm Bat Rabies in Texas Dr. Alexander

1:45 pm Rabies Specimen Submission Guidelines Karen McDonald, MS
Zoonosis Control Specialist, HSR 1
2:30 pm Break

2:45 pm Post-Exposure Prophylaxis Karen McDonald

3:30 pm Bat Exposure Scenarios Worksheet All Participants

4:00 pm Information Review and Q & A All Participants

4:15 pm Adjourn

Animal Control Officers and Professional Sanitarians can earn up to 6 hours of Continuing Education.

The value of the pest-control services to agriculture provided by bats in the U.S. alone range from a low of $3.7 billion to a high of $53 billion a year, estimated the study’s authors, scientists from the University of Pretoria (South Africa), USGS, University of Tennessee and Boston University.

They also warned that noticeable economic losses to North American agriculture could well occur in the next 4 to 5 years because of the double-whammy effect of bat losses due to the emerging disease white-nose syndrome and fatalities of certain migratory bats at wind-energy facilities. In the Northeast, however, where white-nose syndrome has killed more than one million bats in the past few years, the effects could be evident sooner.

“Bats eat tremendous quantities of flying pest insects, so the loss of bats is likely to have long-term effects on agricultural and ecological systems,” said Justin Boyles, a researcher with the University of Pretoria and the lead author of the study. “Consequently, not only is the conservation of bats important for the well-being of ecosystems, but it is also in the best interest of national and international economies.”

A single little brown bat, which has a body no bigger than an adult’s thumb, can eat 4 to 8 grams (the weight of about a grape or two) of insects each night, the authors wrote. Although this may not sound like much, it adds up — the loss of the one million bats in the Northeast has probably resulted in between 660 and 1320 metric tons of insects no longer being eaten each year by bats in the region.

“Additionally, because the agricultural value of bats in the Northeast is small compared with other parts of the country, such losses could be even more substantial in the extensive agricultural regions in the Midwest and the Great Plains where wind-energy development is booming and the fungus responsible for white-nose syndrome was recently detected,” said Tom Kunz, a professor of ecology at Boston University, another co-author.

Although these estimates include the costs of pesticide applications that are not needed because of the pest-control services bats provide, Boyles and his colleagues said they did not account for the detrimental effects of pesticides on ecosystems nor the economic benefits of bats suppressing pest insects in forests, both of which may be considerable.

The loss of bats to white-nose syndrome has largely occurred during the past 4 years, after the disease first appeared in upstate New York. Since then, the fungus thought to cause white-nose syndrome has spread southward and westward and has now been found in 16 states and 3 Canadian provinces. Bat declines in the Northeast, the most severely affected region in the U.S. thus far, have exceeded 70 percent. Populations of at least one species, the little brown bat, have declined so precipitously that scientists expect the species to disappear from the region within the next 20 years.

The losses of bats at wind-power facilities, however, pose a different kind of problem, according to the authors. Although several species of migratory tree-dwelling bats are particularly susceptible to wind turbines, continental-scale monitoring programs are not in place and reasons for the particular susceptibility of some bat species to turbines remain a mystery, Cryan said.

By one estimate, published by Kunz and colleagues in 2007, about 33,000 to 111,000 bats will die each year by 2020 just in the mountainous region of the Mid-Atlantic Highlands from direct collisions with wind turbines as well as lung damage caused by pressure changes bats experience when flying near moving turbine blades. In addition, surprisingly large numbers of bats are dying at wind-energy facilities in other regions of North America.

“We hope that our analysis gets people thinking more about the value of bats and why their conservation is important,” said Gary McCracken, a University of Tennessee professor and co-author of the analysis. “The bottom line is that the natural pest-control services provided by bats save farmers a lot of money.”

The authors conclude that solutions to reduce the impacts of white-nose syndrome and fatalities from wind turbines may be possible in the coming years, but that such work is most likely to be driven by public support that will require a wider awareness of the benefits of insectivorous bats.

Source: United States Geological Survey