NORTHERN MICHIGAN — The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has received its first report this winter of bats dying from white-nose syndrome, a dangerous fungal infection that is expected to kill many more of the winged creatures.
The dead bats were found recently outside the opening of an abandoned copper mine near Mohawk in the Keweenaw Peninsula. Experience with white-nose syndrome in northeastern states suggests most dead bats will be found within 100 yards of mine openings and other places where bats hibernate, DNR authorities say.
In many rural area cases, the dead bats will not be seen or noticed. In Upper Peninsula towns such as Iron Mountain, Hancock and Norway, however, the bats may be on the ground, in trees or in buildings closer to humans. These towns are known to have large numbers of hibernating bats in mines within city limits, DNR staff say.
White-nose syndrome was identified for the first time in Michigan in April 2014 and has the potential to dramatically reduce the state's bat population. The state's agricultural industry could feel the weight of this loss.
The disease causes skin lesions that can disrupt hibernation patterns, leading bats to burn fat reserves that would otherwise help them survive winters without food. There is no direct danger known to humans, though mosquito bites may be more likely if a dramatic bat die-off happens.
Bats have died of the disease in more than 25 other states and in several Canadian Provinces.
Allen Kurta, an Eastern Michigan University researcher, told MLive.com last winter as many as 90 percent of the 300,000 bats hibernating underground in Michigan could die within the next 5 years.
DNR authorities say it is very important not to touch the dead bats because they can carry rabies. Bat carcasses should be picked up with a shovel or heavy gloves and placed in plastic trash bags for routine garbage disposal.
Bat die-offs should be reported to the DNR online or by calling 517-336-5030.
Two Western Michigan University researchers in 2014 were awarded nearly a quarter million dollars by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to study white-nose syndrome in bats.