Greenwire: Three-quarters of the endangered Virginia big-eared bats taken into captivity by the National Zoo have died in recent months, prompting criticism of a project intended to protect the species against the epidemic of “white-nose syndrome” currently sweeping the Northeast.
Thirty of the 40 bats have died, and the remaining 10 are struggling, said David Wildt, senior scientist at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Va. None of them apparently has died from white-nose syndrome, which has killed 90 percent of some bat populations since the malady was first discovered in 2006 (Greenwire, Dec. 17).
Watchdog organization Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility last week asked the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to intervene, saying the bats died because of the zoo’s “ignorance and incompetence.” A report written in December by Texas-based consultant Missy Singleton pointed to problems with the cage built for the bats and criticized how they were fed and cared for.
“Mishandling of the bats resulted in broken fingers, soiled fur, skin infections … bruised legs … anorexia, capture myopathy and death,” Singleton wrote.
Diana Weaver, a spokeswoman for the Fish and Wildlife Service, said in a statement that the agency is investigating the allegations.
“All information we have received from the Smithsonian so far leads us to believe they are doing everything they can to care for the remaining bats,” Weaver wrote. “At this time, we do not feel it is appropriate to move the remaining bats. Moving them would cause additional stress” (Michael Ruane, Washington Post, March 15). – GN