Brown bat. Photo: Jordi Segers
The Bat Hotline, set up to monitor bat populations in Atlantic Canada, marked its 1,000th call, and residents are encouraged to continue reporting bat sightings in the region.
The population of small brown bats and other species of bats are severely affected throughout North America by white nose syndrome, a fungus that develops during warm winters when bats are in hibernation.
The fungus irritates bats to the point that it wakes them up, causing them to look for food when there is little or no food.
A bat hotline has been set up for locals to report bat populations in their area and has been extended to the four Atlantic provinces in 2019.
Since 2017, about 500 observations of bats have been reported with 101 reports of dead or unhealthy bats.
275 potential maternity colonies have been identified and 18 potential swarming sites have been identified.
White-nosed syndrome was recognized in this province in 2017 and can spread rapidly, killing up to 95% of affected bat populations. Anyone who has spotted a bat or who knows of a bat colony is asked to call 1-833-434-2287.
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