A fungus tied to a disease devastatinghibernating bats in the United States has been found in anAlabama cave system critical to the survival of endangered graybats, government scientists said on Monday.
Detection of the fungus that causes the bat disease, white-nose syndrome, in the Fern Cave National Wildlife Refugein Alabama “could be pretty catastrophic” for the up to 1.6 million protected gray bats that hibernate there, said Paul McKenzie, US fish and wildlife service endangered species coordinator.
White-nose syndrome, named for the fungal residue on themuzzles of infected bats, has decimated bat populations since it was discovered in New York in 2006.