White-nose syndrome has killed over 90% of some North American bat species, representing one of the most catastrophic wildlife welfare events in recorded history.
Bats dying from white-nose syndrome experience weight loss, dehydration, and metabolic exhaustion as the fungus disrupts winter torpor. Infected bats rouse repeatedly during winter, burning fat reserves and often dying before spring. The disease causes mass mortality events in cave colonies, killing millions of individual animals experiencing prolonged physiological suffering.