Brutal Bat-killing Disease Spreads Across the West
Disturbing news: The fungus that has wiped out millions of bats in the eastern United States has been found this spring in Wyoming and South Dakota. In Kansas and Canada's Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador, bats sickened with the fungal disease have also been found.
Since white-nose syndrome was first detected in 2006 in upstate New York, it's infected 10 bat species, decimating entire bat populations and putting some species at risk of extinction. The Center has been fighting for years to secure increased protections for affected bat species and get more funding for research and treatments.
"Bats eat millions of pounds of insects in the U.S. every year," said the Center's Mollie Matteson. "Without them, farm crops and forests will suffer from insect damage. This is an economic crisis, not just an ecological crisis."
Learn more in our press release.
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