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This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0003_01C88BFA.839A9510 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Disease killing off bats by the thousands By ANDY BLATCHFORD The Canadian Press Sat. Mar 22 - 4:46 AM MONTREAL - Wildlife scientists are scouring deserted mines in southern = Quebec for traces of a deadly disease decimating bat populations in the = U.S. northeast. Thousands of cases of an illness American wildlife officials call = white-nose syndrome have popped up in grottoes and abandoned mines in a = half-dozen U.S. states. White-nose syndrome often leaves behind skinny, dehydrated corpses that = appear to have had their snouts dunked in a bucket of flour. As U.S. wildlife specialists scramble to determine how many bats are = infected with the previously unknown disease, Quebec biologists fear it = might have crept north of the border. "If we have this (disease), it could really threaten populations because = there are huge mortality rates in the United States," said Jacques = Jutras, a biologist with Quebec's wildlife department. "They're dying by = the tens of thousands." U.S. officials estimate a 50 to 90 per cent mortality rate among bats = with the syndrome. They don't know if humans can contract the disease. "This, I hope I can say, is a once-in-a-lifetime event," said Susi von = Oettingen, an endangered species specialist with the U.S. Fish and = Wildlife Service. "We've never seen anything like this before with our bats, much less any = other mammals, with a very large regional die-off." Quebec wildlife scientists recently looked over hibernating bats in two = abandoned mines on the outskirts of South Bolton, Que., near the Vermont = border. Preliminary results revealed no signs of the disease but the department = plans to study dead specimens that were collected. Two other mines are scheduled for inspection next week, with one quest = requiring biologists to strap on snowshoes and trudge through seven = kilometres of deep drifts to the entrance of one of the caverns, said = Robert Patenaude of Quebec's wildlife department. "It's the first time something like this has ever happened, and this = really has taken everybody by surprise because it's not just one cave, = it's been seen in a lot of different sites," Patenaude said of the U.S. = discoveries. The disease was first documented in New York in the winter of 2006-07, = but U.S. wildlife officials only realized the depth of its impact with a = series of checks on hibernation caves that began earlier this winter. Scientists have since found the disease in Vermont, New Hampshire, = Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. Last year, between 8,000 and 11,000 bats - more than half the local = wintering population - died of the illness in the Albany, N.Y., area, = according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This year, biologists and cavers have reported signs of white-nose = syndrome in at least 18 winter roosting sites in New York, Vermont and = Massachusetts, said von Oettingen. She said dead and dying bats were found unusually far from the safety of = their caves in the middle of winter. "Most of these bats have very low fat reserves, which means they've been = using their energy during hibernation and they're basically starving," = she said. "They are actively trying to find food and drink but they're doing it at = the wrong time of year." Several species have been afflicted with the illness, including the = federally endangered Indiana bat, von Oettingen said. She said bats, which are insectivores in Quebec and the U.S. northeast, = play a key role in the food chain. ------=_NextPart_000_0003_01C88BFA.839A9510 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; = charset=3Diso-8859-1"> <META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.6000.16608" name=3DGENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" = size=3D3>Disease killing=20 off bats by the thousands<BR><FONT = class=3DContent_Sub_Headlines></FONT><BR><FONT=20 class=3Dbyline>By ANDY BLATCHFORD The Canadian Press</FONT><BR><FONT=20 class=3Dbyline>Sat. Mar 22 - 4:46 AM</FONT><BR></FONT><FONT=20 class=3DContent_body-links> <P>MONTREAL =97 Wildlife scientists are scouring deserted mines in = southern Quebec=20 for traces of a deadly disease decimating bat populations in the U.S.=20 northeast.</P> <P>Thousands of cases of an illness American wildlife officials call = white-nose=20 syndrome have popped up in grottoes and abandoned mines in a half-dozen = U.S.=20 states.</P> <P>White-nose syndrome often leaves behind skinny, dehydrated corpses = that=20 appear to have had their snouts dunked in a bucket of flour.</P> <P>As U.S. wildlife specialists scramble to determine how many bats are = infected=20 with the previously unknown disease, Quebec biologists fear it might = have crept=20 north of the border.</P> <P>"If we have this (disease), it could really threaten populations = because=20 there are huge mortality rates in the United States," said Jacques = Jutras, a=20 biologist with Quebec=92s wildlife department. "They=92re dying by the = tens of=20 thousands."</P> <P>U.S. officials estimate a 50 to 90 per cent mortality rate among bats = with=20 the syndrome. They don=92t know if humans can contract the disease.</P> <P>"This, I hope I can say, is a once-in-a-lifetime event," said Susi = von=20 Oettingen, an endangered species specialist with the U.S. Fish and = Wildlife=20 Service.</P> <P>"We=92ve never seen anything like this before with our bats, much = less any=20 other mammals, with a very large regional die-off."</P> <P>Quebec wildlife scientists recently looked over hibernating bats in = two=20 abandoned mines on the outskirts of South Bolton, Que., near the Vermont = border.</P> <P>Preliminary results revealed no signs of the disease but the = department plans=20 to study dead specimens that were collected.</P> <P>Two other mines are scheduled for inspection next week, with one = quest=20 requiring biologists to strap on snowshoes and trudge through seven = kilometres=20 of deep drifts to the entrance of one of the caverns, said Robert = Patenaude of=20 Quebec=92s wildlife department.</P> <P>"It=92s the first time something like this has ever happened, and = this really=20 has taken everybody by surprise because it=92s not just one cave, it=92s = been seen=20 in a lot of different sites," Patenaude said of the U.S. = discoveries.</P> <P>The disease was first documented in New York in the winter of = 2006-07, but=20 U.S. wildlife officials only realized the depth of its impact with a = series of=20 checks on hibernation caves that began earlier this winter.</P> <P>Scientists have since found the disease in Vermont, New Hampshire,=20 Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut.</P> <P>Last year, between 8,000 and 11,000 bats =97 more than half the local = wintering=20 population =97 died of the illness in the Albany, N.Y., area, according = to the=20 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.</P> <P>This year, biologists and cavers have reported signs of white-nose = syndrome=20 in at least 18 winter roosting sites in New York, Vermont and = Massachusetts,=20 said von Oettingen.</P> <P>She said dead and dying bats were found unusually far from the safety = of=20 their caves in the middle of winter.</P> <P>"Most of these bats have very low fat reserves, which means they=92ve = been=20 using their energy during hibernation and they=92re basically starving," = she=20 said.</P> <P>"They are actively trying to find food and drink but they=92re doing = it at the=20 wrong time of year."</P> <P>Several species have been afflicted with the illness, including the = federally=20 endangered Indiana bat, von Oettingen said.</P> <P>She said bats, which are insectivores in Quebec and the U.S. = northeast, play=20 a key role in the food chain.</P> <P></P></FONT></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_000_0003_01C88BFA.839A9510--
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