One Million Dead Bats

[dfcaver]

I've tried to follow the main stream media WNS stories as they emerge, and have noticed that all stories seem to include variations of the same two lines of thought. The first is, of course, that human spread WNS. We've discussed that at length on cavechat over the years.

The second is the number of dead bats. Early on, the figure mentioned was "half a million", pretty much through 2007. The first news reports claiming a million seemed to appear about 2008. The million figure was used throughout 2009 and 2010. Now in 2011, the same "million" figure is in almost every news story. On the face of it, I guess we've got WNS contained - the death toll has been the same since 2008! Obviously, the media dips into the same stale information for every story.

Seriously, does any agency, federal or state, have any updated numbers? No wonder cavers keep getting the blame - the same three year old information is featured in every news report! Does anyone have a clue as to what total we may be at? If we had no increase in scope since 2008, the total would run into three to four million; roughly a million or so victims each season. If the spread is more expotential, we could have seven to eight million. Or are (were) there that many bats in the Hot Zone to start with?

In early January, the Pennsylvania Game Commission reported that Pennsylvania could have 4000 WNS sites. Obviously, there's some projection of data here, but that's a lot of sites - each site with some number of survivors heading out to visit their friends....

[PYoungbaer]

dfcaver,

To my knowledge, no one is quantifying this. Personally, I was comfortable with the million bat figure - given the numbers I have seen for various major hibernacula in the Northeast, but, as you point out, that's out of date. Many hibernacula do not have good historical data, particularly for non-listed species. It's a good question - one I'll raise with state and federal folks - but I doubt we'll ever have anything bordering on an exact answer. Part of that is due to the rapidity with which bat carcasses are scavanged and deteriorate. One way that may help with quantity comparisons is the increasing use of summer acoustic monitoring.

Just FYI, the best comparative data I've seen so far has been done by NYDEC (Kate Langwig, et al), which has tracked bat population decline in nearly two dozen hibernacula.

[BrianC]

I've tried to follow the main stream media WNS stories as they emerge, and have noticed that all stories seem to include variations of the same two lines of thought. The first is, of course, that human spread WNS. We've discussed that at length on cavechat over the years.

The second is the number of dead bats. Early on, the figure mentioned was "half a million", pretty much through 2007. The first news reports claiming a million seemed to appear about 2008. The million figure was used throughout 2009 and 2010. Now in 2011, the same "million" figure is in almost every news story. On the face of it, I guess we've got WNS contained - the death toll has been the same since 2008! Obviously, the media dips into the same stale information for every story.

Seriously, does any agency, federal or state, have any updated numbers? No wonder cavers keep getting the blame - the same three year old information is featured in every news report! Does anyone have a clue as to what total we may be at? If we had no increase in scope since 2008, the total would run into three to four million; roughly a million or so victims each season. If the spread is more expotential, we could have seven to eight million. Or are (were) there that many bats in the Hot Zone to start with?

In early January, the Pennsylvania Game Commission reported that Pennsylvania could have 4000 WNS sites. Obviously, there's some projection of data here, but that's a lot of sites - each site with some number of survivors heading out to visit their friends....

If the information is updated ,the theories derived from initial responses would have to be revised and deduct that the human vector has still not been obvious. Now do you see why we are still seeing the same old information? Caves would have to be reopened, and then the CBD would faint at that!