Students Track Health of Hibernating Bats After Introduction of Deadly White-Nose Syndrome

Associate Professor Karen Francl and her research students have been working with wildlife biologists from the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation's Natural Heritage Program to study the impacts of White-Nose Syndrome (a fungal-borne disease) on bats hibernating in Virginia caves. They have tracked the declines of bat species in 15 caves over the past 4 years, with some species declining 90-100% in some caves. One positive note - the Virginia big-eared bat (in photograph) appears not to be affected by this deadly fungus.