Millions of animals dead, a disease devastating entire populations in multiple states, and no cure or treatment in sight: That’s the reality of white nose syndrome, a disease that has killed over 5 million bats in the U.S. in the past decade. Still, scientists aren’t giving up. [...]
That’s not what kills bats, though. The real issue is that the disease alters the bats’ behaviors. Instead of spending the winter in hibernation, infected bats wake up and fly around. Because of this, they end up expending a lot more energy than they normally would, at a time when there’s no food available to sustain them. Infected bats become emaciated — and eventually die from starvation.
White nose syndrome isn’t just bad for bats; it’s also a huge problem for the U.S. economy. Bats eat a lot of insects, which means they’re crucial for pest control. Because of this, these small mammals save American farmers an estimated $3.7 billion in crop damages every year. Without them, farmers could stand to lose a ton of money. And given current bat declines, even if scientists find a solution now, populations will take a very long time to recover. “Right now we’re at about 10 years of white nose losses,” Carter said. “If we could wave a magic wand today and just get rid of white nose, it would be more than a thousand years before bats can get back to where they were just 10 years ago.”
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