White-nose syndrome has killed millions of bats in North America. The fungal disease causes severe suffering and ecological disruption. Research into treatment is progressing.
White-nose syndrome causes a drawn-out death from starvation following repeated premature arousal from hibernation. Affected bats suffer the metabolic cost of repeated arousal events that exhaust fat reserves, leading to slow starvation in winter conditions. The scale of mortality - tens of millions of individuals - combined with the suffering involved makes this one of the most significant wildlife welfare crises in recent decades.