Deadly bat disease moves into Great Smokies

Despite the Great Smoky Mountains National Park's decision to close all caves to public entry a year ago to prevent the spread of deadly white-nose syndrome among bats, the disease has reached the park. The National Park Service announced Monday that "One little brown bat taken from hibernation at White Oaks Blowhole Cave tested positive for white-nose syndrome," The Associated Press reports.  The disease has killed over one million northeast bats since 2006.

"We closed all of the park’s 17 caves and two mine complexes to any public entry a year ago to prevent the possible importation of the WNS pathogen on visitor’s clothing or gear, but scientists have confirmed that bat-to-bat transmission of the fungus occurs," Bill Stiver, a wildlife biologist at the park, told AP. "We take this very seriously because national parks are often the primary refuge that endangered species can count on for protection." We reported in February that the disease had been found in Tennessee, but this week's news is a significant blow to the hope that its spread could be contained, since the White Oaks Blowhole Cave is home to the state's largest known hibernating colony of endangered Indiana bats, AP reports. (Read more)