Bats from a privately-owned cave in Independence County, a cave on the Buffalo National River in Newton County and a cave on McIlroy Madison County Wildlife Management Area have been confirmed to have white-nose syndrome or its associated fungus
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission has confirmed bats from four counties have WNS. Since 2010, the AGFC and other public agencies around the state have closed most all public caves in the state to slow the spread of the syndrome.
“In spite of all efforts, nothing has been able to stop the spread of this disease since it was discovered in the United States several years ago,” said Blake Sasse, the AGFC’s non-game program leader
White-nose syndrome is believed to cause bats to use up their fat reserves rapidly during hibernation and affected bats sometimes fly out of caves during winter in an attempt to find food. Since the insects bats eat are seasonally dormant, the bats die of starvation. Bats play a key role in keeping insects, including agricultural pests, mosquitoes, and forest pests under control.
The AGFC advises against touching any wild animal and observations should be reported to the AGFC as soon as possible.
Additional information on white-nose syndrome can be found at whitenosesyndrome.org.