VIRGINIA has became the third US state to temporarily ban cavers from caves where bats are dying from white nose syndrome (WNS). New York and Vermont both issued similar appeals in February.
Since 2007, thousands of bats have died from the condition, which is characterised by a white fungus covering their noses, ears and wings. The US Fish and Wildlife Service is trying to find out how the disease kills the animals and how it spreads.
“We believe WNS is likely to spread through direct bat-to-bat and cave-to-bat contact,” says Diana Weaver, a spokeswoman for the FWS, “but it’s possible that human activity may be…
