No Summer Bats

Observation by Sarah Lafleur:

I am used to seeing bats in large numbers throughout the summer, but this year I don't seem to have seen any. I know that bat populations have decreased due to White-Nose Syndrome and it seems it might have affected the populations in my area as well.

White-Nose Syndrome, causes changes in bats that make them more active than usual, burning up fat necessary to their winter survival (White-Nose Syndrome Response Team, 2019). The white fungus can also grow on the ears and wings of infected bats and signs of infection include poor body condition (emaciation and dehydration), as well as behavioural changes (bats flying in daylight hours during the winter and early spring) (Ontario Ministry of Health, 2018). Many of the species of bats in my area are non-migratory cave-hibernating species. These species are the ones directly affected by White-Nose Syndrome. As a result of the infection, dubbed White-Nose Syndrome, millions of bats have died, eliminating up to 90 to 100 per cent of populations in some areas (Cheng, et al., 2021).

A research paper published by Hindawi International Scholarly Research Notices states:

"Order Chiroptera is the second most diverse and abundant order of mammals with great physiological and ecological diversity. They play important ecological roles as prey and predator, arthropod suppression, seed dispersal, pollination, material and nutrient distribution, and recycle. They have great advantage and disadvantage in economic terms. The economic benefits obtained from bats include biological pest control, plant pollination, seed dispersal, guano mining, bush meat and medicine, aesthetic and bat watching tourism, and education and research. Even though bats are among gentle animals providing many positive ecological and economic benefits, few species have negative effects. They cause damage on human, livestock, agricultural crops, building, and infrastructure. They also cause airplane strike, disease transmission, and contamination, and bite humans during self-defense. Bat populations appear to be declining presumably in response to human induced environmental stresses like habitat destruction and fragmentation, disturbance to caves, depletion of food resources, overhunting for bush meat and persecution, increased use of pesticides, infectious disease, and wind energy turbine. As bats are among the most overlooked in spite of their economical and ecological importance, their conservation is mandatory.