White-Nose Syndrome (WNS)

has caused catastrophic declines in 

hibernating bats in the United States 

and Canada. This previously unknown 

disease has spread very quickly among 

bats since it was first discovered in 2007 

and it poses a considerable threat to 

millions of bats and entire ecosystems.

Research is Critical

Scientists around the world are urgently studying WNS. 

Many field and laboratory projects are underway as 

scientists try to discover how WNS is killing our bats, 

what we can do to fight it, and how to protect surviving 

bats.

Your Help is Needed! • Stay out of caves and mines where bats are 

hibernating. 

• Honor cave closures. Check with your state 

and federal agencies or a local chapter of the 

National Speleological Society for the status of 

caves and caving in your area.

• Follow the National WNS Decontamination 

Protocol to clean and disinfect clothes, 

footwear, and equipment used in caves or 

mines.

• Report bats showing signs of WNS, and bats 

that are dead, dying, or appear diseased, to 

your state wildlife agency.

• Help spread the word about WNS and the 

value of our bats.

Bats Matter!

Bats are an essential, beneficial part of ecosystems.

The loss of our bat populations could cause an 

ecological ripple effect with potentially far-reaching 

consequences.

Bats play critical roles in insect control, plant 

pollination, seed dissemination, and cave ecosystems. 

They are also food for other animals, including hawks, 

raccoons, skunks, and owls.

Bats and You

Consuming over half their body weight in insects 

each night, bats are primary predators of night-flying 

insects including many crop and forest pests. Bats in 

the U.S. eat thousands of tons of insects nightly. A 

recent study concluded that losing our bats could 

result in billions of dollars in increased pesticide 

costs and agricultural damages each year! 

The droppings of cave-roosting bats provide vital 

nutrients for cave ecosystems and are often the 

basis of a cave’s food chain. This guano is used by 

microorganisms and invertebrates, which become 

food for fish, salamanders, frogs, and other larger 

animals.

Bats also play a significant role in science and 

medicine. Research conducted on bats has led to 

advancements in sonar, vaccine development, blood 

anti-coagulation, and more.

Battle for Bats

The WNS Tragedy

More Information

For more information on WNS,

including decontamination procedures,

visit the national response website:

www.WhiteNoseSyndrome.org

For more information on bats and caves, visit: 

 • Bat Conservation International: www.batcon.org

 • National Speleological Society: www.caves.org

 • BatsLIVE: http://batslive.pwnet.org

This brochure was produced in partnership by:

© Merlin D. Tuttle, 

Bat Conservation International

WNS not only affects bats,

it impacts entire ecosystems.
White-Nose Syndrome

A new disease is decimating entire populations of bats 

in the U.S. and Canada as they hibernate in caves and 

mines. Affected bats may spend more time being active 

and flying during hibernation, causing them to use 

up the fat reserves they rely on to survive the winter. 

Scientists estimate that over 5.7 million bats have 

already died.

White-nose syndrome (WNS) has spread rapidly. The 

earliest evidence of WNS came from a photograph 

taken in 2006 in a cave in New York. As of June 2013, 

bats with WNS have been found in over 22 states and 

five Canadian provinces as the disease continues to 

spread in all directions across the landscape.

Scientists believe WNS has caused the most dramatic 

decline of North American wildlife in over 100 years, 

with potentially dire environmental consequences. It 

threatens ecosystems both in caves and above ground, 

and presents new challenges for conserving fragile cave 

environments.

Alarming Death Rate

The impact of WNS is frightening! Up to 99% of bats 

in some WNS-infected populations die within a few 

years. Little brown bats, once the most common bat 

in the northeastern U.S., may be in danger of regional 

extinction within the next 15 years. 

More than half of the 47 species of bats that live in the 

U.S. hibernate in caves and mines to survive the winter. 

Four of these bats are federally endangered (Indiana, 

gray, Virginia and Ozark big-eared bats) and live within 

or near WNS-affected areas.

The Cause of WNS

This disease was named “white-nose syndrome” 

because of the telltale white fuzzy growth on the nose, 

ears, and wings of affected bats. Scientists identified 

a previously unknown species of cold-loving fungus, 

Pseudogymnoascus destructans (previously Geomyces 

destructans), as the cause of the skin infection. P. 

destructans thrives in low temperatures (40–55° F) and 

high humidity – conditions commonly found in caves 

and mines where bats hibernate.

While evidence supports that P. destructans causes the 

disease white-nose syndrome, the exact process that 

leads to death is unknown. Scientists are working to 

determine if there are conditions that increase a bat’s 

susceptibility to WNS and/or death.

Other Signs 

The white powdery fungus is not always visible on 

affected bats. Sometimes bats with WNS simply display 

unusual behavior such as flying outside during the day 

in near-freezing weather. This quickly uses up their fat 

reserves at a time when insects are not available for 

food. As a result, in winter you may see dead or dying 

bats on the ground or in buildings or other structures. If 

you encounter a bat, do not handle it! 

How WNS is Spread

Bat-to-Bat: The fungus that causes WNS is believed to 

be transmitted primarily from bat to bat and bat to cave. 

Soil-to-Bat: P. destructans can survive in the soil of 

caves and mines where bats hibernate. Healthy bats 

entering previously infected sites may contract WNS 

from the environment.

Other Means: Scientists have demonstrated that it 

may be possible for humans to inadvertently carry P. 

destructans spores on their clothing or equipment.

If WNS continues to spread to new areas, we face 

the real possibility of losing entire bat species.

For more information on WNS, visit the national response website: www.WhiteNoseSyndrome.org

©2009 batmanagement.com 

To reduce the possibility of transmitting WNS, 

please honor cave closures. As a precaution, clothing, 

footwear, and gear used in a WNS-affected site 

should be decontaminated according to the National 

WNS Decontamination Protocol (available at

www.whitenosesyndrome.org/topics/decontamination). 

Cave visitors should never take clothing or gear used 

in a WNS-affected area to a site that is not WNSaffected.