A fungus that has killed millions of bats has for the first time been found in bats on both sides of the continental divide in Rocky Mountain National Park, officials announced Thursday.
Park workers confirmed three bats in the park were infected with white-nose syndrome, a fungus that is not harmful to humans but can devastate bat populations.
It’s the first time the fungus has been detected in Grand County, park spokeswoman Kyle Patterson said. The discovery comes after officials with the U.S. Geological Survey in April found the fungus in bats in the Holzwarth Historic site, which is on the west side of the national park.
White-nose syndrome also has been found in bats in Longmont, Boulder and La Junta. The fungus was first found in Colorado in 2022.
Biologists believe the fungus traveled from Europe to New York in 2006. It has since spread to more than 40 states and sickened 12 North American bat species. The fungus grows on bats’ muzzles and wings during hibernation. Infected bats wake up from hibernation more frequently and use more energy, which results in starvation before spring arrives.
Patterson said any new detection of the fungus or the syndrome it causes is worrisome because bats are critical to Colorado’s ecosystems. The national park hosts nine species of bats, five of which live higher than 11,000 feet, Patterson said.
The three infected bats found in the park were all long-legged bats, she said.
Although people and pets cannot be infected, people can spread the fungus. Patterson warns that people should not touch bats and should be sure to decontaminate after visiting bat habitat to avoid spreading it.
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