White-nose syndrome, caused by a fungal pathogen, has devastated North American bat populations and poses a threat to European bats with different immune responses.
North American bats dying from white-nose syndrome experience repeated arousal from hibernation causing energy depletion, weight loss, and death from starvation. Population declines remove insect pest control services worth billions to agriculture. Monitoring for disease spread, supporting research into treatments, and protecting hibernation sites from disturbance are the priority welfare and conservation interventions.