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A deadly fungus that has decimated bat populations across North America continues to spread in Alberta.
White-nose syndrome has been diagnosed in Alberta’s Rocky Mountains for the first time, marking the highest prevalence of the devastating disease since it was first confirmed in the province in 2024.
In North America, more than 6.7 million bats have died after being infected since 2006, according to the Center for Biological Diversity.
This disease is caused by a fungus that infects the skin of mammals while they sleep. Rather than killing the bats directly, the disease forces the bats to wake up from hibernation, which leads to overcrowding, dehydration and eventually death.
The fungus that causes white nose disease was first detected in Alberta in 2022. Provincial confirmation of the disease’s symptoms followed two years later.
Evidence of white-nose syndrome has been found in three caves in the Rockies during investigations by the provincial government and the Wildlife Conservation Society of Canada this year.
That includes Camodin and Wapiabi caves, both in central Alberta. Once popular with cave enthusiasts, both caves have been closed to the public by the provincial government since 2010 to prevent white-nose disease from infecting the bats that roost there.
To discourage visits, researchers say the location of the third cave will not be revealed.
“It’s not good news,” said Lisa Wilkinson, a bat specialist with Alberta Environment and Protected Areas.
Last year, a population survey of Alberta’s bat habitat found an estimated 80 percent population decline.
“In eastern North America, where they used to have large cave systems and they were able to do very good numbers, they found the population decline by 90 percent, 95 percent or more. So, it’s not surprising,” said Wilkinson.
White-nose syndrome has infected bats in every Canadian province except British Columbia, where the fungus that causes the disease has been found, but has not been found in any bat populations. The disease has also infected bats in at least 40 US states.
Finding white-nose syndrome symptoms in bat populations is a major advance compared to finding traces of the fungus.
“In low areas, the fungus does not cause this disease. We had not seen any negative effects, but it is clear that over this past year, the fungus has grown and spread, and now it really affects bats and causes white nose disease,” Wilkinson said.
“And to be honest, I didn’t expect it to be that bad. So, it was a surprise, and it’s a very difficult thing to see as a biologist, right? You care about the species you study.”
WATCH | Alberta is using probiotics to try to save the dwindling bat population:
The province is using a new probiotic to help prevent a fungal disease that has killed millions of bats across North America. (Image credit: Jason Headley)
Last year, the province began using a probiotic treatment, which is applied by spraying bat houses during the summer.
That bacterial cocktail has shown promising results so far, including low numbers of fungus found in bats, as well as evidence of bats spreading the probiotic among others.
“We’re not going to stop the spread of the disease, the fungus, or destroy it, or cure the disease to any great extent,” Wilkinson said. “So, every effort is a small measure to help reduce the impact of this disease.”
The province will continue to use probiotics this year while capturing bats to monitor their health status.
2 bats are at risk due to disease
There are nine bat species in Alberta. The three that migrate south for the winter are not known to be white-nose infected, while the six that hibernate in the province are. That includes the brown bat and the northern myotis, both of which are considered endangered by the federal government.
“Any hibernating bats … are going to be vulnerable to this disease,” Wilkinson said. “So, we expect everyone to slow down.”
Wilkinson acknowledged that it is unlikely that the disease will be completely eradicated, but that does not mean that there is no hope.
“If we can get a few bats to survive hibernation without getting the disease, and come back and reproduce, we will help reduce the rate of the disease and the decline in the population,” he said.
Getting help from the community
Cory Olson, co-ordinator of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Alberta Community Bat Program of Canada, says the public has a role to play in helping to conserve the province’s bats.
For example, landowners can report bats living on their property, helping scientists and conservationists better understand the province’s bat population.
Cadomin Cave is the largest known hibernaculum in Alberta. The cave has been closed to the public for more than a decade but, once a year, a small team of researchers sneaks in to complete a census of the bats trapped inside. The annual bat count is especially important as a deadly fungus known as white-nose syndrome threatens Canada’s bat population.
People can also send bat guano (feces) to the Alberta Community Bat Program, which will have it tested in a laboratory to confirm the type of bat.
“We’re getting this very valuable information that we can use to monitor bats, which is very important now that we’re losing bats to white-nose syndrome,” Olson said. [those areas] as potential sites for the treatment we have for this disease.”
At the heart of the initiative is giving bats a valuable PR boost, Olson said.
“We have to have people who appreciate bats and want to keep them in their community,” he said. “One of our goals was to spread the word about bats — kind of dispel some of the myths that people have that make them resistant to wanting to help these animals.”
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