Fungal disease posing threat to Sask. bat populations
A fatal fungal disease that affects bat populations has been discovered in Saskatchewan for the first time in Grasslands National Park.
White-nose bat syndrome impacts bats during hibernation while their body temperature is significantly lowered.
Trent Bollinger, the regional director of the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative and professor of veterinary pathology at the University of Saskatchewan, said the disease can be devastating to hibernating bat species.
“This could cause them to come out of torpor more frequently and use up energy stored that they have built up during the fall leading up to hibernation and this energy depletion is the cause of their death over the hibernation period,” he explained.
Bollinger said the fungus is found in caves where bats live and causes erosions and ulcers in their skin, before it eventually enters underlying tissues.
While the disease is only contagious to bats, the ecological impacts could affect everyone, according to Iga Stasiak, a wildlife health specialist for the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment.
“Bats play a really important and immense ecological role. They’re a major predator of night-flying insects, including crop pests so they save the agricultural industry millions of dollars every year in pest control," she said.
The disease is known to cause a drastic mortality rate within bat populations.
“We might already be seeing a population-level impact,” Stasiak said. “This fungus is devastating to hibernating bat species and can cause significant losses of over 90 per cent in some hibernacula so we are going to be monitoring that closely.”
White-nose bat syndrome has drastically affected the bat population in North America since its discovery in 2006.
Bollinger said the disease was first detected in New York State but researchers believe it may have been brought over from Europe.
The ministry said it will be collecting skin swab samples from bats in the province as part of monitoring.
“We’re also working with Wildlife Conservation Society Canada which has a project in the prairies looking at bridge sites, so we’ll be collecting guano samples and test those guano or fecal samples for fungus as well,” Stasiak said.
Authorities ask that if any members of the public come into contact with a bat that is dead or on the ground, to contact the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
opinion I've been a criminal attorney for decades. Here's what I think about the case against Trump
Joey Jackson, a criminal defence attorney and a legal analyst for CNN, outlines what he thinks about the criminal case against Donald Trump in the 'hush money trial.'
$3.8M home in B.C.'s Okanagan has steel shell for extra wildfire protection
A home in B.C.'s Okanagan that features a weathering steel shell designed to provide some protection against wildfires has been listed for sale at $3.8 million.
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life
An alligator attacked a diver on April 15 as he surfaced from his dive, nearly out of air. His tank emptied with the gator's jaws crushing the arm he put up in defence.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
Mystery surrounds giant custom Canucks jerseys worn by Lions Gate Bridge statues
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
Celebrity designer sentenced to 18 months in prison for smuggling crocodile handbags
A leading fashion designer whose accessories were used by celebrities from Britney Spears to the cast of the 'Sex and the City' TV series was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty in Miami federal court on charges of smuggling crocodile handbags from her native Colombia.
Wildfire leads to evacuation order issued for northeast Alberta community
An evacuation order was issued on Monday afternoon for homes in the area of Cold Lake First Nation.