• © Greg Horne
  • © Greg Horne
  • © Greg Horne
  • © Christian Stenner
  • © Cory Olson
  • © Cory Olson

Our Supporters

The Bat Caver Program, a program of WCS Canada,  has been made possible by the support of multiple funders and partner organizations.


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Acknowledgements


The Wildlife Conservation Society Canada recognizes the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation and anglers, hunters, trappers and guides who contribute to the Trust, for making a significant financial contribution to support the  project "Preparing BC for White Nose Syndrome in Bats: Establishing baseline bat hibernation information". Without such support, this project would not have been possible.

The Wildlife Conservation Society Canada gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program for its contribution to the project "Identifying and Securing Bat Hibernation Habitat in the Southern Columbia Basin in Preparation for the Spread of White Nose Syndrome".

Part of the National Conservation Plan, this project was undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada. /  Dans le cadre du Plan de conservation national, ce projet a été réalisé avec l'appui financier du gouvernement du Canada.

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) was the first conservation organization with a dedicated team of wildlife veterinarians and other health professionals deployed around the world. The WCS Wildlife Health & Health Policy Program, which has helped support the Bat Caver Program, focuses on problem-solving at the wildlife / domestic animal / human health and livelihoods interface, as underpinned by a foundation of environmental stewardship.

 

 

Protect Bats

Bats are very sensitive to disturbance while hibernating. If you see hibernating bats, leave the area immediately.

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Clean Gear

Decontaminating your gear between caving trips can prevent the spread of WNS.



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Find Bats

Install a bat monitoring device in a cave or mine when you go caving.



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Updates

DECONTAMINATION FOR CAVERS AND MINE EXPLORERS

The BatCaver program has released a video (see below) demonstrating one easy method of decontaminating caving equipment after exiting a cave or mine. Our BC coordinator walks the viewer step-by-step through one of his common decon procedures: immersing his caving equipment in 60-degree Celsius water for at least 20 minutes. The video is intended to help increase the likelihood that more people will follow recommended procedures by simplifying the procedure that reduces the risks of inadvertently transporting White-nose Syndrome (Pd) spores from one region to another.


White-nose Syndrome has continued spreading westward through Manitoba. It has also been found in Washington State since 2016.  As this highly transmissible and fatal disease of bats continues its spread, adherence to proper decontamination protocol is increasingly important, especially among anyone who may enter multiple caves or mines in a wide geographic range, and anyone operating in the Fraser Valley and US border regions.

 

Additional decontamination procedures can be found under the decontamination protocol link on the BatCaver Resources page. A map of WNS affected areas of North America (2019) is found on the Threats tab.


Video

White-nose Syndrome (WNS) is a fungal disease that has caused up to 100% bat mortality in cave hibernacula in Eastern Canada and United States. Follow these simple and critical decontamination protocols to keep bats safe as you explore. 

DECONTAMINATION OF CAVING GEAR AND EQUIPMENT

DECONTAMINATION PROTOCOLS FOR VISITING BAT HIBERNACULA

Watch this video in French.

© 2020 Wildlife Conservation Society