A brown bat. Photo: Jordi Segers
A bat hotline set up to control bat populations in Atlantic Canada has dialed its 1,000th call and residents are encouraged to continue reporting bat sightings in the region.
The population of small brown bats and other bat species has been severely affected throughout North America by white nose syndrome, a fungus that develops during warm winters when bats are hibernating.
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 was created for local residents to report bat populations in their area and expanded to the four Atlantic provinces in 2019.
Since 2017, about 500 bat sightings have been recorded with 101 reports of dead or unhealthy bats.
275 potential maternity colonies were identified, with 18 potential swarm sites recognized.
White nose syndrome was recognized in this province in 2017 and can spread quickly, killing up to 95 percent of affected bat populations. Anyone with a bat sighting or who knows of a bat colony is asked to call the line at 1-833-434-2287.