The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission reports that a national study has confirmed the presence of a fungus that causes white-nose syndrome in bats in one of the caves closed as a precaution to prevent the spread of the disease.
A low level of the fungus was found in a sample taken from the wall of Devil’s Den Cave at Devil’s Den State Park. That cave was among several closed by state agencies in 2009 and 2010 as a precaution. Scientists also found evidence of the fungus in a sample taken from a private cave in Baxter County, where swabs from both bats and walls turned up evidence of the fungus. The syndrome itself wasn’t evident in bats in the caves checked and no bats have died in Arkansas from the disease.
The disease has killed bats in other parts of the country and state officials say they’ll be revisiting caves to look for further signs of the problem. Closing the caves prevents humans from spreading spores inadvertently. The disease isn’t a threat to people, pets or livestock.
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