U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service:
White-Nose Syndrome Mystery - Something is Killing Our Bats
Tens of thousands of hibernating bats died this winter in the northeast, and we don't know why. In and around caves and mines in eastern and upstate New York, Vermont, western Massachusetts, and northwestern Connecticut, biologists found sick, dying and dead bats in unprecedented numbers.
These bats often have a white fungus on their muzzles (hence the name"white-nose syndrome") and other parts of their bodies. Despite the continuing search to find the source of this condition by numerous laboratories and state and federal biologists, the cause of the bat deaths remains a mystery.
Bats with this white-nose syndrome have the white fungus on their noses and occasionally other parts of their bodies. It is unknown if the fungus is causing the deaths or is symptomatic of a disease. The fungus isn't always visible to the naked eye and rarely is it visible on bats found flying or dead outside of their hibernacula.
Human health implications are not know; there is no informatioin indicating that people have been affected after exposure to the white fungus.
If you need to dispose of a dead bat found on yhour property, pick it up with a plastic bag over your hand. Place both the bat and the bag into another plastic bag, close it securely, and dispose of it with your garbage. Wash your hands - and any clothing that comes into contact with the bat - THOROUGHLY.