The Southern Cumberlands are home to thousands of caves, one of the highest concentrations in the country. According to a recent news release from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, caves on land owned by TWRA and other state agencies, as well as The Nature Conservancy, will be closed to public access for a year to help prevent the spread of White Nose Syndrome (WNS) among bats. The closures come at the request of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service and extend through May 2010.
WNS is a white fungus which appears on the faces, ears, wings, and feet of hibernating bats. Its cause is as yet undetermined. The fungus spreads rapidly and has killed 95 percent of bats at one site in just two years. There is no indication that WNS is harmful to humans or other animals.
It is believed that the desease may be spread from one cave to another on the clothing or gear of human visitors. Since 2006, WNS has spread from a cave near Albany, N. Y. to nine states, including Virginia and West Virginia. Nearly 500,000 bats are known to have died as a result of WNS, and Tennessee officials feel it is only a matter of time before it occurs in Tennessee.
Bats are very beneficial in pest control. Between April and October, a bat tends to eat its body weight in bugs each night.
WNS causes bats to rapidly use up their fat reserves during hibernation, forcing them to leave their caves during winter in search of food. But with the insects they eat being dormant at that time, the bats soon starve.
Scientists hope the cave closures will give them time to discover the cause of WNS and how to limit its spread.