![A bat count in Hellhole cave WV run by West Virginia Department of Natural Resouces [Craig Stihler craigstihler@wvdnr.gov]. The count was not scheduled this year but was done because large numbers of WNS positive bats were flying in the snow around the entrance. Hellhole is WV's largest bat hibernaculum. At the last survey in 2007 there were more than 112,000 bats hibernating in the cave including the world's largest population of Virginia Long Eared Bat. The survey found many sick, dead and dying bats. But the disease seems to mostly be effecting the more common Little Brown Bat. Michael Chu [michaelkchu@gmail.com climbs the 160 foot deep entrance pit after a bat survey.](http://medias.photodeck.com/bebc4ad8-fe6d-11df-bb19-c726cc937351/mm7869_100220_03456_xlarge.jpg)
Almost 2 years ago I hung over this 150' pit in West Virgina as part of a survey team looking at how White Nose Syndrome was effecting hibernating bats. The incredible thing about this photo is not the guy hanging in in space or even the bat flying around but the capture date. It was February and there were bats flying around in the cold and snow.
The disease seemed to be spreading south and the great fear is that it will infect the large bat colonies that we have in the southern cumberland plateau. So far we haven't seen great mortality in Tennessee, but this winter is when the disease would seriously hit. Fingers are crossed here.
Chattanooga, TN
I was hanging in that exact spot about 27 years ago ... there's a funny story about being small, young, not quite fitting in your harness, and climbing up that rope :-) Thank you for bringing back fond memories.
Excellent shot and a sad story about the bats.
Posted by: Jeffrey Mills | January 20, 2012 at 02:36 PM