Report Winter Bat Sightings

http://www.insidehalton.com/news/article/938412--mnr-asking-ontarians-to-report-winter-bat-sightings

MNR asking Ontarians to report winter bat sightings

Feb 03, 2011 - 5:43 PM

In baseball, you are told to keep your eye on the ball.

In a different outdoor pursuit, environmental experts now want you to keep your eye on the bat.

This bat is the kind that often lives in caves or abandoned mines and flies around at night.

The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources says there are recent reports of a strange fungus that forces bats to awaken from their winter hibernation and become susceptible to winter’s elements.

The ministry says White Nose Syndrome (WNS), named for a fungus that grows on affected bats, has been found among bat populations across parts of the northern United States and Ontario.

The fungus has killed more than one million bats so far, says the MNR, and is threatening some bat populations.

In March 2010, the syndrome was detected in Ontario. It has been confirmed at seven sites in central and north-eastern Ontario. The MNR and the Canadian Co-operative Wildlife Health Centre are monitoring the spread of the disease and determining its impact on Ontario’s bats.

While the number of bat deaths has been low in Ontario to date, the ministry says it is concerned about the potential negative impact the syndrome could have on bats in this province.

The MNR says Ontario bats are important to bio-diversity because they eat lots of insects. One bat can consume thousands of flying insects each night during the summer.

Eight different species of bats are found in Ontario.

The MNR says the public can help by staying away from sites where bats hibernate and reporting any unusual bat behaviour, such as daytime flying or finding sick or dead bats.

Do not touch bats whether alive or dead, says the MNR, as bats can carry rabies, a potentially-deadly infection.

If you see bats flying during the daytime in winter, or find sick or dead bats, contact the Canadian Co-operative Wildlife Health Centre at 1-866-673-4781 or the Ministry of Natural Resources Information Centre at 1-800-667-1940.