Bat-Killing Disease Moves Into Eastern Georgia

The fungus was found in the privately owned Black Diamond Tunnel, considered the state’s largest winter bat refuge. The discovery marks the first time the disease has been documented in the eastern portion of the state.

“It was just really gruesome looking. You see the bodies littering the water and piled up on the shelves of rock on the side of the tunnel where there are areas that can collect the bat bodies,” said Trina Morris, a wildlife biologist with the state Department of Natural Resources.

In just one year, Morris says white-nose syndrome cut the tunnel’s bat population from more than 5,500 to around 3,500.

“That’s not really typical to see a decline like that in the first year of finding white-nose syndrome, but we did see that. It’s probably because of the syndrome as well as the extremely cold winter,” Morris said.

White-nose syndrome has been reported in Canada and 26 U.S. States since it first appeared in North America in 2005. Thought to have been brought over from Europe, the disease has killed millions of cave-dwelling bats since its arrival.  

The disease is caused by a fungus that thrives in cold, damp places like caves and mines, popular winter hibernation spots for some bat species.

Pete Pattavina of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Georgia office said the fungus is itchy, causing the bats to wake up in the middle of winter and flea the cave looking for food.

“Once [the bats’] temperatures come down to meet the ambient temperature of the cave, then the fungus will start to grow on the bat on its tissues and it just irritates the bats so much and will cause lesions and itching,” Pattavina said.

White-nose syndrome was first reported in Georgia last year and had been concentrated in the northwest part of the state until this month.

The disease was also found moving south into Bartow and Polk counties this year. Georgia DNR says so far the fungus has been found in 12 locations in six counties.

With more than 600 caves in Georgia, Pattavina says there’s no way to know just how much white-nose syndrome has spread in the state.

Because the disease is spread primarily from bat to bat, Pattavina there’s not much conservationists can do to stop the spread.

“You think in this day and age there’s always an answer,” Pattavina said. “I mean, it seems like it’s very simple, you know? It’s just a fungal disease. We have tons of anti-fungals around, and, you know, why can’t we treat these bats? And there’s just no easy answer.”

Pattavina said not all bats are susceptible to the disease. He said because temperatures are warmer in the southern portion of the state, those bat populations are unlikely to be affected because they hibernate less. Tree-dwelling bats and attic bats are also less likely to catch the disease.

Pattavina the state will continue to track the disease’s spread.