PETERSBERG, Alaska (AP) - Residents in southeast Alaska are helping wildlife officials track bats in an effort to combat a disease that has killed millions of the animals.
KFSK-FM reports (https://bit.ly/1MBmtz0 ) that the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has asked Alaska residents drive specific routes with special monitoring equipment in the car to pick up where bats are hiding. Scientists want to find out where the bats are hanging out to see if some populations are more vulnerable to illnesses.
White-nose bat syndrome keeps bats from hibernating properly and can cause them to starve to death. The disease has been recently found in Washington state. Wildlife officials say it is likely the disease will soon reach Alaska.
The citizen bat monitoring program will run May through September in southeast Alaska.
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Information from: KFSK-FM, https://www.alaska.net/~kfsk/
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