Cave-dwelling species including bats, cave fish, and cave invertebrates face welfare and conservation threats from tourism, white-nose syndrome, and habitat disturbance. Understanding cave species welfare reveals a rarely-considered dimension of conservation.
Cave species welfare is dominated by the dramatic welfare crisis of white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease that kills hibernating bats by disrupting their winter torpor. Bats aroused repeatedly during hibernation expend fat reserves needed to survive until spring, dying of starvation. White-nose syndrome has caused the deaths of hundreds of millions of bats — one of the largest wildlife welfare disasters in recent history. Cave tourism that disturbs hibernating bats has a similar effect at smaller scale: rousing hibernating bats wastes the energy reserves they depend on for winter survival. Cave closures during sensitive periods are welfare interventions that directly prevent this suffering. Cave invertebrate welfare is less studied but equally dependent on stable, undisturbed habitat conditions.