Threatened brown bats show signs of recovery from deadly fungus in Ontario cave
The team filmed bats as they snoozed the winter away to shine a light on these remarkable creatures
The Wild Canadian Weather crew travelled to a southern Ontario cave to film little brown bats with a thermal camera as they slowly woke to drink or go to the bathroom. They accompanied a team of researchers from Trent University who were there to count the hibernating bats.
The cave has spores of a deadly fungal disease, white nose syndrome, that has decimated bat populations across North America. So, the entire team was very careful to decontaminate their gear and clothing so they didn't spread the fungus after leaving the cave.
The crew worked quickly while the researchers did their count, so that they didn't disturb the vulnerable bats while they snoozed. "We aren't seeing any signs of really serious white nose," says researcher Christina Davy. "So, the hope is that over time the population can recover slowly and get back to the levels that it was at before white nose."
Watch the video above for the full story.
Watch more from Making Wild Canadian Weather.
