Classifieds

A disease that has been nearly wiping out bat populations in Eastern Canada and the U.S. has made its first appearance in Alberta.
White Nose Syndrome, a fungus that starves bats to death by interrupting their winter hibernation, was identified in several locations in the province last year after being found in Saskatchewan in 2021.
“It looks like it’s spreading about 500 kilometres a year,” said Cory Olson of the Wildlife Conservation Society, which conducted the research.
Society researchers traced the infections by collecting bat droppings from underneath 800 bridges where the tiny mammals like to rest during the night.
“A lot of bridges have bats,” said Olson. “About half of all the bridges we looked at had bat guano.”...