Courtesy: CHAT Newsroom

By Angela Kazmierczak

White-nose syndrome found near Dinosaur Provincial Park

Jan 13, 2023 | 5:07 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – The white-nose syndrome is spreading into southern Alberta. The fungus has been found in Dinosaur Provincial Park near Brooks.

The fungus, which grows in caves, is still in its early stages.

Lisa Wilkinson, a Provincial Bat Specialist, says it will take a year or two before the disease fully takes effect.

“We’ve been monitoring for many years. Myself and a small group will go in quietly and take account to see the population. We’ll continue to do it,” said Wilkinson.

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In the summer, the bat specialist and her team will collect angono samples from caves and bridges, and efforts will be refocused on the south to see how far it’s spreading.

While there isn’t much they can do to prevent the spread, Wilkinson says Medicine Hat’s bat population might be able to survive the winter, unlike other bat species.

“I know Medicine Hat has a healthy population of bats, especially big brown bats. And the big brown bats, simply because of their larger body mass than a little brown bat, seems to be a little more resistant to it,” she said.

Currently, six bat species are at risk in Alberta, and Fish and Wildlife are looking for ways to kill the fungus or vaccinate the bats in the future.