Bats battle deadly disease

(KOTA)
Published: Jun. 17, 2018 at 6:23 PM CDT
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A deadly disease is sweeping across the country killing millions of bats and now it's here in South Dakota.

It's called White-Nose Syndrome and it's a fungal infection identified by a white outbreak around the muzzle and other parts of the bats.

One way it kills bats is by interrupting the hibernation cycle. The bats have no way of replenishing their lost stored fat and they end up starving to death.

It was discovered in 2006 in New York and last month was found in the Badlands National Park.

Bat exert Joel Tigner said the best way to stop the spread of the disease to stay clear of places the bats roost.

"Basically, staying out of places that are used collectively primarily as hibernation sites, is probably the only thing," Tigner said. "A lot of our sites here in the Black Hills have been gated."

Bat populations in South Dakota are already on the decline. The emergence of White-Nose, could be the beginning of the end.

"With the current decline, and you throw something like this that could potentially could lower the bat population below the point were it would be able to recover. So it's a real concern," Tigner said.

The disease has already killed 5.7 million bats in North America.