Archived Outdoors

Bat populations remain low due to white-nose syndrome

Results are back from this year’s winter bat surveys in Western North Carolina, and numbers have remained low following the arrival of white-nose syndrome to the area.

“What we’re seeing now at these sites is WNS’ devastating aftermath,” said mammalogist Katherine Caldwell. “Most sites we surveyed in western North Carolina had over 90 percent declines in bat populations from their pre-WNS counts, with some declines as high as 99 percent.”

The surveys also found WNS in a new county — in Stokes County, biologists found four bats with visible signs of WNS.

WNCS was first documented in North Carolina in February 2011, in Avery County. Since then, it’s been found in 10 WNC counties. However, the disease is likely present throughout the mountains based on bat decline data. Since it was first seen in the U.S. in 2006, white-nose syndrome has dealt a heavy blow to the populations of cave-hibernating bats in areas where it’s spread. 

Smokey Mountain News Logo
SUPPORT THE SMOKY MOUNTAIN NEWS AND
INDEPENDENT, AWARD-WINNING JOURNALISM
Go to top
Payment Information

/

At our inception 20 years ago, we chose to be different. Unlike other news organizations, we made the decision to provide in-depth, regional reporting free to anyone who wanted access to it. We don’t plan to change that model. Support from our readers will help us maintain and strengthen the editorial independence that is crucial to our mission to help make Western North Carolina a better place to call home. If you are able, please support The Smoky Mountain News.

The Smoky Mountain News is a wholly private corporation. Reader contributions support the journalistic mission of SMN to remain independent. Your support of SMN does not constitute a charitable donation. If you have a question about contributing to SMN, please contact us.