White-nose syndrome has devastated North American bat populations since 2006, causing suffering and death in millions of bats. Understanding the disease guides conservation and welfare responses.
White-nose syndrome causes a protracted, suffering-filled death for affected bats. Aroused from hibernation by the irritation of fungal growth, they burn through fat reserves and starve. Some bats emerge during winter cold snaps and freeze. The population-level death tolls — millions of animals — represent an immense aggregate welfare harm alongside the conservation crisis. Individual bats found during winter are often severely emaciated, hypothermic, and near death. Wildlife rehabilitators who receive these animals face difficult triage decisions about which individuals can be saved. Preventing spread of the fungus — through cave closure and decontamination protocols — protects both populations and individuals.