White-nose syndrome has killed millions of North American bats since its emergence in 2006. Understanding this devastating wildlife disease helps target conservation efforts and reduce the suffering of affected bat populations.
Individual bats dying from white-nose syndrome experience a prolonged welfare crisis — aroused repeatedly from hibernation by the irritating fungal infection, they deplete fat reserves, become starving, and are forced into winter daylight desperate for insects that do not exist. Death from starvation and hypothermia is slow and distressing. The welfare scale of this disease across millions of individuals represents one of the largest wildlife disease welfare crises in North American history. Conservation efforts that reduce mortality also prevent this suffering across entire populations.