Parks Canada Turns to Probiotics as Deadly Bat Disease Reaches Jasper

Parks Canada officials say a deadly fungal disease known as white-nose syndrome has been confirmed in a cave in Jasper National Park, marking another step in the westward spread of one of the most devastating wildlife disease outbreaks in modern North American history.

The disease was detected in March inside the park’s only known bat hibernation cave, where staff discovered signs of infection among hibernating bats. The fungus attacks bats while they sleep through winter, often causing mass die-offs in entire colonies.

Mortality rates can reach as high as 90 to 98 percent.

“This is considered one of the worst wildlife disease outbreaks in modern times,” Parks Canada said in background materials accompanying the announcement.

White-nose syndrome was first identified in eastern North America in 2006 and has since spread steadily westward through caves and bat colonies. Alberta confirmed its first cases in 2024. Since then, the disease has been detected in several caves across central Alberta, including one in Jasper.

The disease is caused by a cold-loving fungus that grows on the skin of hibernating bats, particularly around the nose, ears and wings, giving infected animals their characteristic white appearance.

Scientists say the fungus disrupts hibernation cycles, repeatedly waking bats during winter when food sources like insects are unavailable. Each time the bats wake, they burn through critical fat reserves needed to survive the season.

Eventually, many starve to death before spring arrives.

The threat is especially serious in Jasper because the park is home to two endangered bat species vulnerable to the disease: the little brown myotis and northern myotis, both small insect-eating bats once commonly found across Canada.

The little brown myotis alone can consume roughly 600 insects in a single hour, including mosquitoes, moths and beetles. Researchers say bats play a major role in controlling insect populations naturally, reducing the need for chemical pesticides and helping protect crops and ecosystems.

“The Little Brown Bat used to be the most abundant bat species in the region,” Parks Canada materials state. “Since white-nose syndrome, it’s now one of the most rare.”

To try to slow the disease, Parks Canada has begun applying probiotic treatments at bat roosts in Jasper.

Probiotics are beneficial bacteria commonly associated with gut health in humans, but in this case, scientists are using naturally occurring bacteria found on western Canadian bats to suppress fungal growth.

The treatment is applied at the entrances to maternity roosts, where female bats gather during summer to raise their young, and in some cases directly inside attics or structures where bats are known to roost.

As bats fly through treated areas, they pick up the beneficial bacteria on their wings and bodies, potentially spreading it to other bats within the colony.

According to Parks Canada, the treatment has already shown promising results in Alberta, British Columbia and Washington state, where studies found improved survival rates among infected bat colonies.

Officials estimate known roosts in Jasper support between 150 and 260 bats during the summer months, though they believe additional undocumented colonies likely exist throughout the park.

Parks Canada is working alongside Alberta Environment and Protected Areas, Wildlife Conservation Society Canada and other wildlife experts to monitor populations and coordinate response efforts.

Detecting the disease early remains difficult because fungal growth is often invisible under normal lighting during the early stages of infection.

Instead, wildlife staff rely on ultraviolet screening techniques. Under ultraviolet black light, the fungus fluoresces a bright yellow-orange colour, allowing researchers to identify infections before visible symptoms appear.

Officials emphasized that white-nose syndrome does not pose a risk to humans.

However, people can unintentionally spread fungal spores between caves or bat habitats on footwear, clothing or pets. Parks Canada is urging visitors to avoid entering caves in national parks without permits and to stay out of abandoned buildings or other areas where bats may hibernate.

The agency is also asking residents and visitors in Jasper to report bat colonies or roosting sites to help researchers identify and protect additional populations.

Despite the scale of the outbreak, Parks Canada says there is still hope for the species’ survival.

“Not all bats have disappeared,” the agency said in its background information. “They’re still here in very low numbers.”