Arizona Game & Fish Department receives grant to protect bat species

The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) received a grant to help preserve bats from a fungal disease.

AZGFD was awarded $29,839 in grant funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).

In total, funds were given to 39 states, including Arizona, to help combat a deadly fungal disease, the white-nose syndrome, that has killed millions of bats.

In Arizona, the funding will be used to research whether the fungus has begun to impact local cave-dwelling bats, according to a AZGFD press release.

“The fungus that causes white-nose syndrome has left a lasting impact on the nation’s cave-dwelling bat populations. Bats give birth to only one young per year, so recovery from this disease will take decades,” said Angie McIntire, an AZGFD biologist and bat specialist.

White-nose syndrome was first discovered in New York in 2006-2007. The name comes from the white fungus found on a bat’s muzzle and wings. White-nose syndrome has killed more than 5.7 million bats in eastern North America.

The syndrome has spread to 33 states and seven Canadian provinces. While the syndrome hasn’t come to Arizona, it’s critical to monitor the disease and research the impact, according to AZGFD.