White-nose syndrome has been detected in bats in Rocky Mountain National Park/NPS

White-nose syndrome, a disease that is fatal to bats and which has been moving across the country in recent years, has been detected in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.

The fungus responsible for WNS, Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), resembles a white fuzz on infected bats. It was confirmed in a sample taken from bats in the Holzwarth Historic Site area located on the west side of the park. This is the first confirmed detection of Pd in Grand County, Colorado, the Park Service said Thursday.

Pd is an invasive fungus that can spread rapidly, primarily through bat-to-bat contact.

WNS does not cause illness in humans, but humans are able to spread the fungus to new places. To protect yourselves and conserve bat populations, the Park Service recommends that visitors:

• Report dead/injured bats to park personnel. To protect yourself and bats, never touch or pick up a bat. Although WNS does not cause illness in humans, a small percentage of bats can be infected with other dangerous diseases, such as rabies.
• Decontaminate. Ensure you properly decontaminate your gear and outerwear after visiting a cave or other bat habitat. 

Earlier this year, swabs taken from bats in the Holzwarth area of the park found a probability of Pd. Following that result, Park Service wildlife biologists at the park collected bat guano from locations in the Holzwarth Historic Site area for follow up testing to verify the results. The results of these tests have positively detected Pd.

Any new detection of Pd is worrisome because bats are vital for healthy ecosystems. Rocky Mountain National Park is home to nine known species of bats, five of which have been found living in areas above 11,000 feet. WNS has been blamed for millions of bat deaths nationwide since its initial detection in New York State in 2006.

Bats become infected during hibernation through physical contact from other bats or a roost surface, which enables the disease to spread quickly through a colony. Bats infected with WNS are active more frequently, which uses up fat reserves and leads to starvation and often death before spring. In some cases, bats that should be hibernating have been spotted flying outside in the cold.

A U.S. Geological Surey research epidemiologist has been working to develop a vaccine to treat bats with WNS, which has killed millions of North American bats in about 39 states and two Canadian provinces. More than 90 percent of northern long-eared, little brown, and tri-colored bat populations have been decimated by the disease in the last decade. Due to the high mortality rate, the northern long-eared bat is an endangered species and the tri-colored is proposed for endangered species status under the Endangered Species Act.

National parks are home to 45 species of bats, keystone species essential to ecosystems, and the disease has been spreading through the National Park System. At Jewel Cave National Monument in South Dakota, for example, white-nose syndrome has been blamed for a 97 percent drop in the little brown bat population.  

National park sites where WNS has been found include Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Jewel Cave National Monument, Canyonlands National Park, Acadia National Park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Mammoth Cave National Park, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Russell Cave National Monument, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, Wind Cave National Park, and New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.

In July 2022, the first confirmed case of WNS was reported in southeastern Colorado. Pd and WNS have also been confirmed in Larimer County, Colorado.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the USGS, along with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service, have been conducting WNS surveys for more than a decade, monitoring bats for presence of Pd. Colorado is home to 19 native bat species, at least 13 of which may be susceptible to this disease. Colorado's native bats are all insect eaters and use various habitat types across the state. They are most active during the summer months and spend the winter either hibernating in underground roosts throughout the state or migrating south. The National Park Service and other state and federal agencies will continue to monitor bats throughout Colorado.

To learn more about White Nose Syndrome and how it impacts bats, visit https://www.whitenosesyndrome.org/