More information on white-nose syndrome from US FWS
US FWS White-Nose Syndrome FactsheetVirginia Big-Eared Bats at the National Zoo
The National Zoo hopes to establish a healthy captive population of Virginia big-eared bats to act as a lifeboat in case white-nose syndrome strikes them in the wild.
Working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Zoo hopes to establish a colony of 40 captive bats. The Zoo is modifying a building at its Conservation and Research Center in Front Royal, Virginia, for the bats.
The bats will come from a cave in West Virginia. West Virginia’s Division of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s West Virginia Field Office will lead the collection efforts. The bats must be collected before they go into hibernation. Once they reach Front Royal, the bats will be kept strictly quarantined.
No one has ever kept Virginia big-eared bats in captivity before. However, two Zoo keepers have trained with experts at keeping other kinds of bats. Most bats in zoos are frugivorous (fruit-eating) bats. Insectivores, such as the Virginia big-eared bat, are much more difficult to keep.
The main goal at first will be feeding the bats an appropriate diet and managing their health. Many studies have been done on how they catch their prey in the wild, but no one has studied their nutrient requirements.
The National Zoo has a history of successfully preserving small, endangered, and sensitive species, which is why it is leading this effort. This is a risky endeavor because no one has tried it before, but something must be done to save these bats.
