Tx Parks ad Wildlife is beginning to clamp down on access to state-owned bat caves, though there's not too many of them. Most are in private hands, though they're issuing guidelines for cave owners that suggest closure. Most of the bats in Texas are migratory though, and don't hibernate (Mexican Freetails go south to Mexico) which seems to be when bats are most susceptible. WNS hasn't been spotted in Texas yet, though it's probably a matter of how long.
Keeping people out of caves is a move made from an abundance-of-caution standpoint I.E. it probably can't hurt, but the bats themselves that fly from cave to cave are the most likely vectors. Most cavers feel pretty helpless, and the mood over at BCI is kind of dour these days. We love these little critters, and have all worked our butts of for many, many years to raise public awareness and to keep their homes safe from vandals, development, what have you. This is a very tough time in the caving community.
It's a pretty massive, horrible problem any way you look at it, and no one knows how it's really going to play out in the end. We could be facing a pretty huge mass-extinction, or maybe they'll develop a resistance, and rebound eventually. In the mean time, it's an agricultural problem, as millions of pet-eating bats are removed from the food chain. posted by Devils Rancher at 8:49 AM on August 24, 2010 [4 favorites]
Also: Wind farms. It's really not a great time to be a bat.
"Rudolph the White-Nosed Brown Bat." Get on it, MeMu! posted by Sys Rq at 8:54 AM on August 24, 2010
Yeah. This was all prompted by said naturalist. I couldn't believe it. I am a totally geeky dork for bats, and this completely breaks my heart.
I was really excited when I realized there were 2 bathouses at the camp. I took pictures (that I haven't gotten off my camera yet).
Getting swarmed by the colony was one of the coolest things EVER. They moved so fast you could barely see them, and there were at least 10 of them. The thought that I may never see or experience something like that again... I have no words. posted by bibliogrrl at 9:03 AM on August 24, 2010
Devils Rancher - we were told that this fungus came from Europe (I couldn't find links, so I didn't post that), and that it is likely that the European bats have resistance because they evolved at the same rate as the fungus. I couldn't find links, so I didn't mention that.
We were also told about the caves. I'm really glad you posted, especially from your point of view. Thank you. posted by bibliogrrl at 9:06 AM on August 24, 2010
A world without tigers or rhinoceroses or gorillas would be a sadder, emptier place, but human civilization will take little notice.
A world without bats, frogs or bees is not one in which we could continue to live. posted by Faint of Butt at 9:09 AM on August 24, 2010 [6 favorites]
Last one to make a tasteless pun about "Mysterious new illness promps widespread closure of bathouses" is a rotten egg! posted by Sys Rq at 9:21 AM on August 24, 2010
Needs batshitinsane tag.
But, seriously, this sucks. I like to watch the bats going after insects in my back yard at night. posted by ZenMasterThis at 9:33 AM on August 24, 2010
Poor little guys. This reminds me that I need to renew my BCI membership... posted by JoanArkham at 9:34 AM on August 24, 2010
"millions of pet-eating bats are removed from the food chain"
I'm guessing this has something to do with climate change, new pathogens or pollutants.
In the bigger scheme of things
we haven't been around here more than a moment
And yet too many, it seems
believe we are creating a brand new world around us.
We are creating a brand new world without us.
--DEVO, "No place like home" posted by kinnakeet at 10:14 AM on August 24, 2010
Side note: I don't know how I missed on my first glance of said enviornmental group's web page that they also distribute endangered species condoms. posted by maryr at 10:25 AM on August 24, 2010
>Also: Wind farms
Bit of a cheap shot there. We can mitigate against bat casualties with siting and operational procedures. What we can't mitigate against is population stress caused by habitat loss, pesticides and climate change. posted by scruss at 10:28 AM on August 24, 2010
We can mitigate against bat casualties with siting and operational procedures.
I notice you wrote "can" instead of "do."
Look, I'm all for wind power. I'm just pretty sure I wouldn't be if I were a bat. posted by Sys Rq at 10:32 AM on August 24, 2010
How would you compensate a bat family? I'm assuming they have little use for money.
If this was the 1870's, I'd give them blankets dusted with geomyces destructans. posted by ZenMasterThis at 10:46 AM on August 24, 2010
OMG, how do they even get them on the endangered species
I was wondering how they made them. Do they pulp said species first? Or is it more of a lamb-skin type operation. HM. posted by thsmchnekllsfascists at 11:21 AM on August 24, 2010
Bats dying out means we'll have an explosion in bugs. And diseases that affect humans to go with it. posted by yeloson at 11:26 AM on August 24, 2010
My wife has done bat research for much of the last eight years. Every year WNS marches a little farther and closer to the largest hibernacula of Indiana Bats. Now Indiana Bats are expected to go extinct in the next few years. posted by schyler523 at 12:10 PM on August 24, 2010
This makes me unaccountably sad. I love the little bats.
I was swarmed by a playful colony of bats.
I'm deeply envious. posted by quin at 12:30 PM on August 24, 2010
I read this as white noise about 10 times trying to figure out what babbling brooks or fans set on high had to do with bats dying.
I had never heard of this before. I hope the research teams find a way to safely counteract this fungus. =\ posted by zephyr_words at 12:41 PM on August 24, 2010
:(
Visiting Bracken Cave was always one of my favorite parts of Bamberger Ranch weekend at math camp. (Except one year when we would had dinner catered at the cave. Nothing stirs up your appetite like the overwhelming stench of guano!) It's truly an incredible sight to see millions of bats flying above and around you. posted by kmz at 12:46 PM on August 24, 2010
Misread at first as "White House Syndrome".
Visions of bats biting people on the neck and leaving forms for the victims to apply for state-subsidized health care. posted by Mike D at 12:59 PM on August 24, 2010
My office mate is the lead author of the Science paper (she is also the one being interviewed by Ira). Nice to see this linked here! posted by special-k at 1:06 PM on August 24, 2010
oh no :( posted by divabat at 4:20 PM on August 24, 2010
More information, with pictures and further links. posted by unliteral at 5:50 PM on August 24, 2010
Special-k - That is AWESOME. That is just unbelievably cool. I'm all fangirly now. :D
quin - it was unexpected, and one of the coolest things to ever happen to me. All we were trying to do was go watch the sunrise, and suddenly: BATS. We'd been watching them in the evenings as they went bug hunting, but to have them swirling around us like a mini tornado (and it lasted 15 minutes, it wasn't a quick one off) was unbelievable. It wasn't scary, it was like they were checking us out and deeming us ok. posted by bibliogrrl at 5:52 AM on August 25, 2010
Ohmigosh. Last summer, I would always get swooped by bats when I biked past this one tree each evening and I was wondering why I wasn't getting swooped this summer. This is so sad. I love bats. posted by Jess the Mess at 8:45 AM on August 25, 2010
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