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
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Newfoundland and Labrador latest province to tighten rules on Airbnbs
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.