RICHMOND — The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries said tests have confirmed that bats from two caves in Virginia have been found with a fungus associated with white-nose syndrome, according to a press release.
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While conducting winter surveys of caves where bats hibernate, biologists and volunteers discovered some bats showed signs of white-nose syndrome in Breathing Cave in Bath County. Similar clinical signs were found in bats in Clover Hollow Cave in Giles County. The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Virginia Speleological Survey took part in the surveys.
The specimens were sent to the National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wis.
The impact of white-nose syndrome on bat populations could be highly significant if the condition cannot be controlled and continues to spread, according to the press release. Some caves in New York have seen bat populations decline more than 90 percent because of white-nose syndrome. Losses in bat populations of this magnitude will cause a substantial ripple effect due to the important role that bats play as insect feeders, as a food source for other animals and their contributions to cave ecosystems, the press release stated.
The department is asking recreational spelunkers in Virginia to refrain from entering caves, and has closed caves on its wildlife management areas. Because of the potential impact of white-nose syndrome, spelunkers and cave owners are being urged to help Virginia’s bat populations by reducing cave traffic until more is learned about this syndrome.
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