Deadly white-nose syndrome confirmed in Newfoundland bats

The deadly white-nose syndrome that has decimatedbat population across North Americahas been confirmed in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Three little brown myotis (bats) in western Newfoundland have the disease, according to the provincial Department of Fisheries and Land Resources.

One bat tested positive last summer, while another two had the same result this winter, according to Shelley Moores, a senior manager of wildlife research with the provincial government.

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The syndrome isa fungal disease that has been linked tothe mass death of hibernating bats in North America since 2006.

"Itseverely damages their wing tissue, it disrupts their water and electrolyte balance," Moores told CBC Radio's On the Go, adding it prompts bats to look for food and water in the winter, often resulting in death sincethey should be hibernating.

It gets its name from the white fungus that grows on the muzzle and body ofhibernating bats.

Both thelittle brownmyotisand the northern long-earedmyotisare susceptible to white-nose syndrome in this province. Both species are listed as endangered.

Officials are asking the public to contact them if they see a sick or dead bat, but caution not to touch the bats with bare hands.

It's also important for humans not to enterbat hibernation sites, as spores of white-nose syndrome can be spread by humans.

How it got here

Mooressaid the hope had been the Gulf of St. Lawrence would act as a protective barrier, keeping the disease off the island.

"We did expect that there was a potential for the disease to travel from Cape Breton to western Newfoundland. It could be how it showed up we really can't say, it's one of those things we will never truly know," she said.

Moores said there have been no confirmed cases in Labrador yet and "all we can do is monitor those early spring arrivals."

She said it's hard to say how the bat population in the province will fare.

"We think there may be some potential for some of the populations to remain relatively isolated from others ... it's still a waiting game for us right now," Moores said.

And if it does hit the bat population hard, what those impacts could be are still anyone's guess.

"That's the big question ... bats are a very valued component of our ecosystem, they provide a lot of services to us in the role of pest control, they eat a lot of insects," she said.

"We're still going to have to wait and see."