White-nose syndrome has killed over 90% of some North American bat species and represents one of the most catastrophic wildlife diseases in recorded history.
WNS causes a prolonged, distressing decline - bats emerge prematurely from hibernation in winter, fly during daylight, and slowly starve. Mass die-offs occur in hibernacula where bats cannot escape the fungus. The scale of suffering is unprecedented in wildlife disease history, affecting hundreds of millions of individuals across the continent.