The B.C. Community Bat Program is asking people to report any sightings of dead or flying bats this winter.
In collaboration with the province of B.C., the bat program is asking the public for help in the effort to detect and prevent the spread of white-nose syndrome (WNS) in bats, urging residents to report any bat activity observed in winter and any sick or dead bats found before May 31.
The B.C. Community Bat Program is an organization "dedicated to raising awareness of bat conservation issues, helping to manage bats in buildings, and collecting data needed to monitor and understand bats in B.C." according to their website.
In the Cariboo, they have installed a four-chambered nursery box at Scout Island Nature Centre in Williams Lake.
Martin Kruus, the Cariboo region coordinator of the B.C. Community Bat Program based out of Williams Lake, said they joined up with the province of B.C. because most people involved with the community bat program enjoy wildlife.
"They're curious about it - they want it to survive and want to live beside them, beside wild creatures, in harmony with them as much as possible," Kruus explained.
White-nose syndrome is a disease caused by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus Destructans (PD) - which although not causing any disease in humans or pets, has decimated bat populations in North America.
"This syndrome results in this white growth on the bat's face, and it looks almost like mould on bread," Kruus described. "It causes the bats to itch and be irritated - it doesn't kill them directly, but it makes them wake up when they're hibernating."
Kruus said the syndrome can lead to bats prematurely waking up to itch the white growth, leading to their deaths by starvation, as it uses up their "precious, small reserves of energy" they need to survive the winter.
The syndrome was first discovered in North America in 2006 in New York state, and over the years, it has been detected in other jurisdictions, such as northern Washington State and southern Alberta. So far there have been no confirmed cases of either WNS or PD in the Cariboo region, which is home to a population of bats, predominantly the little brown Myotis which is listed as endangered in Canada due to WNS. However, in 2022, the PD fungus was discovered in the town of Grand Forks, B.C. though so far WNS has not been observed in B.C.
"We're sort of crossing our fingers, feeling really lucky so far that it hasn't stretched into our province," Kruus added.
The B.C. Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship released results from 413 samples taken last winter, which all came back as negative, noted a press release from the B.C. Community Bat Program.
Bats are common in the South Cariboo region according to Kruus, with reports of them in Bridge Lake, Sheridan Lake, and even as far south as Clinton. Kruus said bats play a vital role in the ecosystem as well as indirectly, the economy.
"They keep down the flying insect population, which is a big benefit to humans, but also pets and domestic animals, because some of those flying insects just are sort of annoying and can bite, but are also disease vectors and can spread disease," Kruus said. He adds bats also pollinate fruit, which indirectly helps the food supply around the world.
As for the cut-off date of May 31, when spring largely arrives and when bats return from hibernation, Kruus said putting the cut-off date there is to account for the flying insect availability, which can vary every year.
"Making it the end of May gives us enough overlap that if it's a slow year where the bats come back more gradually from hibernation because the flying insects are not hatching as early as normal, then we would still catch those cases of potential white-nose syndrome or unusual winter behaviour bats," Kruus said.
Those who spot any flying bats during the winter, or dead ones, should report it to the B.C. Community Bat Program online at www.bcbats.ca, e-mail at martinkruus@shaw.ca, or by calling 250-398-8532.
