Bat Numbers Dropping in Wisconsin
Sunday, September 10th, 2017 -- 9:09 AM
(AP) -The number of bats in Wisconsin is dropping, and environmentalists blame the loss on white-nose syndrome, a disease that is passed bat to bat.The Herald Times Reporter reports the deadly disease came to Wisconsin around 2014, and some counties have lost an estimated 90 percent of their bat population. Manitowoc County also has seen a decrease, and Woodland Dunes Nature Center is among 30 sites throughout Wisconsin voluntarily monitoring bats for the state Department of Natural Resources.
Four hibernating bats in Wisconsin are affected by white-nose, including little brown, big brown, tricolor and Northern long-eared. DNR conservation biologist J. Paul White says white-nose syndrome was first detected in New York state in the winter of 2006-07 and has since spread to more than 30 states and five Canadian provinces.
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