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HomeNewsDunbar Cave State Park suspends cave tours

Dunbar Cave State Park suspends cave tours

Bat in Dunbar Cave Tested Positive for White Nose Syndrome

Tennessee State Parks will suspend cave tours at Dunbar Cave State Park after a bat from Dunbar Cave tested positive for White Nose Syndrome. Other park activities and events, including fishing, hiking and picnic facilities will remain open and available to the public.

Dunbar Cave does not have a large bat population due, in part, to a past fire and therefore, was not closed in 2009 when the state closed public caves in an effort to protect Tennessee bat populations from White Nose Syndrome. The cave is closed every year from November through March to allow the limited number of bats that are there a disruption free hibernation. It has not yet reopened for the year, and has not hosted any public visitors over the winter.

A little brown bat's moldy white nose marks it as suffering from white-nose syndrome. The disease is killing hundreds of thousands of hibernating bats in the northeastern U.S. Scientists recently identified the mold, a form new to science, in a lab.  (Al Hicks/NY DEC)
A little brown bat's moldy white nose marks it as suffering from white-nose syndrome. The disease is killing hundreds of thousands of hibernating bats in the northeastern U.S. Scientists recently identified the mold, a form new to science, in a lab. (Al Hicks/NY DEC)

The bat was discovered by researchers from Austin Peay State University during a permitted research outing. Researchers have been monitoring bats in the cave since 2006 to gather data on changes in the bat population and roosting patterns over time, and to provide an assessment of species diversity for each cave chamber. Information gained from this cave research will assist the state in management of the cave’s resources.

Dunbar Cave is being closed indefinitely in an effort to take every necessary precaution to isolate the fungus as much as possible in order to protect bat populations at other nearby hibernacula, recognizing that bat-to-bat transmission is still possible.

An Eastern Pipistrell Bat in Dunbar Cave
An Eastern Pipistrel Bat in Dunbar Cave

While endangered species of bats are not found in Dunbar Cave, Tennessee is home to populations of endangered Indiana and gray bats, which biologists fear could be potentially devastated by the disease. The causes and transmission of White Nose Syndrome are still being studied, but resource agencies are taking every precaution to protect the species.

A multi-agency working group, consisting of federal and state agencies and non-governmental organizations was formed last year to coordinate the state’s efforts to protect bats from White Nose Syndrome. Last spring, the state of Tennessee, National Park Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service and Tennessee Valley Authority closed caves on public lands in an attempt to slow the spread of the fungus. The Nature Conservancy also closed caves on their lands in Tennessee. Policies regarding Tennessee caves are being reviewed and will be revised as new information warrants.

White Nose Syndrome causes bats to use up their fat reserves rapidly during hibernation.

This causes affected bats to fly out of caves during winter in an attempt to find food. Since the insects bats eat are seasonally dormant, the bats die of starvation. Bats play a key role in keeping insects, including agricultural pests, mosquitoes and forest pests, under control.

There have been no reported human illnesses attributed to White Nose Syndrome, and there is currently no evidence to suggest that it is harmful to humans or other organisms.

This is the second confirmed occurrence of White Nose Syndrome in a Tennessee cave. The first was reported by cavers at Worley’s Cave in Sullivan County and confirmed by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency in February. Worley’s Cave is on private property and is not subject to the state’s closure.

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