Department of Natural Resources conservation biologist J. Paul White said the syndrome wakes bats from hibernation early, forcing them into winter climates they cannot handle. More than 6 million bats have died since white-nose syndrome was found in New York in 2006.
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BATS. THEY PLAY A BIG ROLE IN OUR ECO AND ECONOMIC WELL-BEING. VORACIOUS INSECT EATERS, BATS AND THEIR APPETITES HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO SAVE WISCONSIN AG INDUSTRIES UP TO $1.5 BILLION PER YEAR IN PESTICIDE COSTS. 2016 WINTER SURVEYS SHOW THAT A DEADLY FUNGUS TO BATS KNOWN AS WHITE NOSE SYNDROME IS SPREADING. AND IT’S LINKED TO A 94% DROP IN THE BAT POPULATION IN GRANT COUNTY WHERE THE DISEASE WAS FIRST FOUND IN 2014. PAUL WHITE IS A CONSERVATION BIOLOGIST FOR THE NATURAL HERITAGE CONSERVATION BUREAU AT THE WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES. HE LEADS THE WISCONSIN BAT PROGRAM’S SURVEILLANCE EFFORTS AND THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
PAUL WHITE:
THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
FREDERICA FREYBERG:
WHAT IS THE STATUS OF WHITE NOSE SYNDROME IN BATS IN WISCONSIN RIGHT NOW?
PAUL WHITE:
WHITE NOSE SYNDROME OR THE FUNGUS IS CURRENTLY FOUND IN 14 COUNTIES. WE FOUND IT IN 42 OF OUR 74 SITES WE VISITED THIS YEAR. SO IT HAS TRAVELED OUTSIDE OF GRANT COUNTY FROM ITS ORIGINAL POINT OF INFECTION TO 14 SITES LAST YEAR IN 2015 TO 42 SITES IN JUST THREE YEARS’ TIME.
FREDERICA FREYBERG:
BECAUSE IT WAS FIRST FOUND HERE IN 2014?
PAUL WHITE:
CORRECT, YEP. IN THE SPRING OF 2014 WE FIRST DISCOVERED IT AND THAT’S UNFORTUNATELY WHEN IT TOOK OFF FROM THERE.
FREDERICA FREYBERG:
AND IT’S KNOWN THAT THIS DISEASE IS CAUSED BY FUNGUS, BUT THAT FUNGUS ITSELF CANNOT BE ERADICATED?
PAUL WHITE:
AT THIS POINT IT IS A VERY HEARTY FUNGUS. AND IT LIVES IN AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE IT IS VERY CHALLENGING TO ERADICATE IT. ANY TYPE OF TREATMENT, WE WOULD NEED TO UNDERSTAND HOW IT MIGHT AFFECT THE BATS. HOW IT MIGHT AFFECT OTHER ANIMALS THAT USE THAT ENVIRONMENT. AND THE FUNGUS ITSELF DOES PERSIST FOR SOME TIME BOTH IN AND OUTSIDE OF THE CAVE.
FREDERICA FREYBERG:
HOW DOES THE SYNDROME RESULT IN THE DEATH OF BATS?
PAUL WHITE:
WELL, BATS HAVE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF FAT RESERVES THAT ARE NEEDED THROUGH HIBERNATION. AND THEY’RE HIBERNATING SIX TO EIGHT MONTHS OF THE YEAR. SO THEY’RE GOING WITHOUT FOOD AT THAT POINT. THE FUNGUS INVADES THE SKIN TISSUE. IT REPEATEDLY WAKES THEM UP TO THE POINT WHERE THEY’RE WAKING UP EVERY FIVE TO SEVEN DAYS ON AVERAGE. WHEREAS NORMALLY THEY WOULD BE WAKING UP MAYBE 15 TO 20 DAYS ON AVERAGE. THEY’RE LEAVING THE HIBERNATION SITE IN MIDWINTER. OFTEN DYING FROM EXPOSURE TO THE ELEMENTS OUTSIDE.
FREDERICA FREYBERG:
HOW CAN IT BE STEMMED? THE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND OTHERS HAVE PUSHED IT OFF, BUT WHAT CAN YOU DO TO STEM IT?
PAUL WHITE:
RIGHT NOW WE’VE DONE WHAT WE CAN TO CURB THE HUMAN-ASSISTED TRANSMISSION OF THE DISEASE. WE FIRST LISTED THE CAVE BATS AS THREATENED IN 2011 WHICH ALLOWED SOME PROTECTIONS FOR UNAUTHORIZED TAKE. BUT AT THIS POINT WE ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO STOP IT OR AT LEAST TO MINIMIZE THE EFFECTS OF WHITE NOSE SYNDROME. WE’RE WORKING WITH RESEARCHERS TO IDENTIFY POSSIBLE TREATMENT OPTIONS. WHETHER THAT’S A VACCINE OR PROBIOTIC OR SOMETHING ELSE. WE’RE STILL IN THE EARLY STAGES OF THAT UNFORTUNATELY. FROM A POINT IN WHICH WE IDENTIFY A POSSIBLE TREATMENT UNTIL IT GOES IN THE LAB, UNTIL IT GOES IN THE FIELD UNFORTUNATELY TAKES TIME. THAT’S SOMETHING WE JUST DON’T HAVE AT THIS POINT.
FREDERICA FREYBERG:
IS WISCONSIN PART OF THAT KIND OF RESEARCH?
PAUL WHITE:
IT IS. ACTUALLY RESULTS ARE PENDING ON THOSE EFFORTS CURRENTLY.
FREDERICA FREYBERG:
HOW ARE BATS BENEFICIAL TO THE ENVIRONMENT?
PAUL WHITE:
WELL, BATS AS YOU MENTIONED ARE VORACIOUS INSECT EATERS. THEY’RE THE PRIMARY PREDATOR OF NIGHT-FLYING INSECTS. THEY PREY ON FORESTRY PESTS, AGRICULTURE PESTS AND EVEN HUMAN PESTS. AND AS YOU MENTIONED, THE PEST CONTROL SERVICES ALONE TO THE AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRY IN WISCONSIN RANGE FROM $658,000 ALL THE WAY UP TO $1.5 BILLION. TO REMOVE A TOP PREDATOR FROM THE INSECT WORLD WOULD THEORETICALLY INCREASE PESTICIDE APPLICATION AND OTHER IMPLICATIONS WITH THAT WITH ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION AND HEALTH IMPLICATIONS.
FREDERICA FREYBERG:
SO WE KNOW THAT THIS WAS FIRST DETECTED IN 2007 ON THE EAST COAST.
PAUL WHITE:
RIGHT.
FREDERICA FREYBERG:
AND DOES ANYONE KNOW WHERE IT CAME FROM?
PAUL WHITE:
IT’S SUSPECTED FROM EUROPE. IN FACT, WE FIND IT ON A VARIETY OF SPECIES IN EUROPE. IT’S FOUND IN 13 DIFFERENT SPECIES, ALTHOUGH IT DOESN’T AFFECT THEM TO THE DEGREE IT AFFECTS HIBERNATING BATS IN THE UNITED STATES. IT WAS FIRST FOUND IN 2006, 2007 IN NEW YORK A POPULAR CAVING DESTINATION. SO LIKELY BROUGHT IN FROM SOMEONE THAT DID NOT CLEAN AND DECONTAMINATE THEIR CLOTHES PROPERLY.
FREDERICA FREYBERG:
I READ THAT THE DECLINE ON THE EAST COAST OF THE BAT POPULATION HAS BEEN LIKE 80% SINCE THEN? IS THAT WHAT WE EXPECT IN WISCONSIN?
PAUL WHITE:
IT IS. ALTHOUGH EVERY SITE, EVERY STATE IS DIFFERENT. AT THIS POINT, WE’VE SEEN DRAMATIC DECREASES LIKE YOU HAD MENTIONED. 94% DECLINE IN ONE OF OUR FIRST SITES. SO AT THIS POINT UNLESS WE FIND SOMETHING THAT CAN SLOW IT, WE EXPECT TO SEE THOSE DECLINES AND POTENTIALLY MORE.
FREDERICA FREYBERG:
PAUL WHITE, THANKS VERY MUCH AND THANKS FOR YOUR WORK.
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