Imagine the world without them

Mysterious affliction killing bats; public asked to report unusual sightings

By SANDY LONG

NEW YORK STATE — In the wake of Alan Weisman’s widely acclaimed nonfiction title, “The World Without Us,” a baffling and tragic phenomenon is occurring in the natural world.

Even as The New York Times bestselling title examines how it might go for an Earth without humans, yet another species is falling victim to a mysterious illness that is causing the unexplained death of thousands of bats in three states and raising questions about what it might mean to live in a world where bats and other animals are inexplicably dying.

The circumstances are eerily familiar, as bats appear to be the latest casualties of an unknown killer, following the mysterious die-offs of bees and the disappearance of some frog species in recent years. Even as we seek to understand what the world would be like without us, even more pressing, since animal die-offs are already beginning to occur, is the question, “what would the world be like without them?”

Bats are important to human welfare in a number of ways, since they pollinate many tropical and sub-tropical trees and shrubs and reduce insect populations, helping to minimize crop damage and the spread of diseases such as West Nile Virus. In addition, Bat Conservation International reports that bats “have contributed to the development of navigational aids for the blind, birth control and artificial insemination techniques, vaccine production, drug testing and even to a better understanding of low-temperature surgical procedures.”

Bats also aid in reforestation by dispersing seeds in their droppings, which provide bacteria useful in detoxifying wastes, improving detergents and producing antibiotics. More than 450 commercial products such as fibers, dyes, medicine and timber come from bat-dependent plants.

But as Alan Hicks, mammal specialist for the New York State Department of Conservation’s (NYDEC) Endangered Species Unit points out, “We have, as a society, an obligation to make sure that they are here for our children and our great-grandchildren.”

The die-offs were first observed in January 2007 near Albany, NY, where approximately 11,000 bats from four affected caves died. Evidence of the disease has expanded to include additional caves as far north as Lake Champlain, as far south as Kingston and as far west as Watertown.

The disease, called “white nose syndrome,” has since been confirmed in Vermont and Massachusetts and is expected to continue to spread. The chief characteristic is a white ring of fungus around the nose, although it is uncertain whether this is a cause or a symptom.

What is known is that the bats are depleting their stores of fat reserves before the end of their hibernation period, which normally concludes in late April at the time when food sources become available. Motivated by starvation, bats are leaving their roosts early only to discover a winter landscape devoid of insects. “We find them dead on the snow,” said Hicks.

What remains unknown is why. “There’s no smoking gun yet,” said Hicks. “Our focus now is to get the cooperation and assistance of various agencies to find out what is going on.”

The New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is also soliciting the assistance of the public. Though entering caves or other roosts is strongly discouraged, the public is asked to be observant and report any sightings of bats that have exited roosts and begun flying about outside. Call 845/256-3098 to report such information.

Hicks likened the chain of events surrounding the bat losses and other animal die-offs to that which transpires in maintaining an automobile. “Most days, your car starts and you come to depend on it. One day, you discover a piece has fallen out, but since it still starts, you continue to drive it. When one too many pieces fall out, the whole system crashes,” he said. “We’re not the auto mechanics of the ecosystem. We can’t just assume we can repair what breaks. We need to respect the fact that each component plays an important part.”

Visit www.fws.gov/northeast/white_nose.html for more information.