Public asked to report sick bats, groups of bats, to Department of Fish and Wildlife

It’s a big reason that these little creatures have become the focus of a Department of Fish and Wildlife research project,

June 23, 2016 7:57 pm
A healthy little brown bat
A healthy little brown bat

Bats eat bugs, and a lot of them.

It’s a big reason that these little creatures have become the focus of a Department of Fish and Wildlife research project, and why the department is asking people to report any sightings of two or more bats together, online at http://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/health/wns.

“We’re really trying to stress that bats play an important role,” said DFW staffer Rachel Blomker, despite their usual association with “creepy” things.

A video on the Fish and Wildlife website discusses the importance of bats and the reasons for tracking their locations, as well as what people should do if they encounter a bat acting strangely.

Bats have become an important subject of study since March, when the first instance of a deadly bat disease, White Nose Syndrome, was diagnosed in Washington.

The Department of Fish and Wildlife is hoping to track the bat colonies, sick or healthy, in an effort to track the spread of the disease, but “We don’t know where the bats are,” said Blomker.

Anyone who sees a bat acting strangely — out during daylight hours or in cold weather — is asked to report the bat, but not to touch it. The same goes for any sightings of two or more bats behaving normally.

The disease has wiped out entire colonies east of the Rockies in the past 10 years and has now spread to 28 states and five Canadian provinces.

Washington has 14 species of bats. The only known case of White Nose Syndrome affected a little brown bat, (Myotis lucifugus).

The first instance of the disease in Washington was reported after two hikers found a sick bat near North Bend March 11.

The fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans, interferes with bat hibernation and destroys skin tissue, making bats unable to fly.

It is not known to affect any species other than bats, however other species can unknowingly propagate the fungus.

“Humans and dogs can carry the spores on their (backpacks, shoes and other caving equipment) or fur for months,” said Blomker, adding that there are decontamination protocols on the DFW website, http://wdfw.wa.gov.