Nov 14, 2008 11:22 pm US/Eastern
Scientists Fear Bat-Killing Disease May Spread
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
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Something is killing bats by the thousands. Whole colonies have been wiped out in the Northeast, and there is worry it could spread to Maryland.
Something is killing bats by the thousands. Whole colonies have been wiped out in the Northeast, and there is worry it could spread to Maryland.
Alex DeMetrick reports many people might not view that as a problem, but there are reasons they should.
Bats fly with a lot of bad baggage, nearly all of it under-served. If there is fear, it's bats who should be afraid.
The flying mammals are in trouble. In the Northeast, a disease called white nose syndrome is killing them by the thousands.
When the fungus shows up on the muzzle, colonies suffer.
"High numbers of deaths. They're moving in the daytime, they're roosting in unusual locations. It's all very unusual behavior for bats," said Aimee Haskem, UM Center for Environmental Science.
So researchers have been coming to an abandoned train tunnel in Washington County to catch, count and calculate the health of bats, especially endangered species like the eastern small-footed bat.
Since August, biologists from the University of Maryland's Center for Environmental Science have been surveying. Using tools like tiny transmitters and radio receivers, territory is mapped.
But it isn't until nightfall that real hands-on work begins. Bats trapped by alternating strands of fishing line fall onto slippery plastic sheeting. Then comes the physical exam.
So far, there's no sign of white nose syndrome in Maryland. People should care because it's directly connected to what bats eat.
Research is being done around the country, but what triggers white nose syndrome and how it spreads remains a mystery.
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