Mar 8, 2026
A growing majority of bat species are in serious trouble,
largely because of white nose syndrome, a deadly fungal disease
that resembles a white fuzz on infected bats.
As the disease has spread across the country, it’s decimated bat
populations – killing upwards of 99 percent of some populations –
and turned up in many national parks.
As part of the National Parks Traveler’s Threatened and Endangered
Species Project, contributing writer Kim O’Connell has been looking
into the situation with bat species.