White-Nose Syndrome has devastated North American bat populations, killing millions of individuals and threatening ecosystem services worth billions of dollars. Understanding this disease is crucial for conservation.
The suffering caused by White-Nose Syndrome is both individual and population-level. Infected bats rouse from hibernation repeatedly during winter, burning essential fat reserves in futile attempts to escape the fungal irritation. They emerge from caves during winter months, flying in search of nonexistent insects before dying of starvation. The process is prolonged and involves repeated disruption of the torpor state that is essential to winter survival. Beyond individual suffering, the population collapse threatens pollination, seed dispersal, and insect control services that entire agricultural and natural ecosystems depend on. Bat welfare and ecosystem function are inseparable in this crisis.