NORTHWOODS, Wis. (WJFW) – Not long ago, humans had to deal with the COVID pandemic, but one animal in the Northwoods is still battling its own endemic. The Wisconsin DNR is spreading awareness about white-nose syndrome, which affects the entire bat population in the Northwoods. Jennifer Redell, a conservation biologist with the Wisconsin DNR, said that as of 2019, they have considered white-nose syndrome to be an epidemic here in Wisconsin.

“The fungus is still here and bats are still exposed to it every winter. All the bats that are still around survive the disease,” Redell said.

Currently, white-nose syndrome can be found in every hibernation area in Wisconsin, and Redell said it can be fatal.

“It causes the bat to periodically wake up and burn its fat stores. They’re trying to conserve energy while they hibernate, but long before spring, that bat is starving or going on land to look for insects, and sure enough, there aren’t any,” Redell said.

This disease is a concern, but Redell said he is looking for ways to protect bats and their important roles in nature.

“If you were to invent a perfect bat killer, this would be it. But the Achilles’ heel is that its weakness is ultraviolet light, so that’s one of the treatments we’re looking at,” Redell said.

To spread more awareness, they have declared this week Bat Appreciation Week to highlight the important role bats play in controlling insect populations.

“Literally thousands of insects in one night — even a single bat can eat thousands of mosquitoes in one night,” Redell said.

Redell said that with the help of bats, we can control other diseases, such as the West Nile virus, which comes from mosquitoes.