Originally Posted by
Cavey
Yeah, I love caving in the Bedford area.
Actually they do know the answer. Bat-to-Bat transmission is the primary cause of WNS. Proof of this is in Missouri. The first recorded case of WNS was found on a Tricolor Bat (aka, Pipistrille Bat) that had been captured and banded in Tennessee the year before.
That incident caused the immediate closure of state owned caves in Illinois, Missouri, and Iowa. Which really makes no sense and debunks the human transmission blame: One bat jumped 3 states and deposited WNS in a cave that was already closed to human traffic.
Earlier this month WNS was found in a Kentucky cave that has been gated and closed for decades. It was found by a scientific team specifically looking for the disease within the boundaries of Mammoth Cave National Park (This cave is not physically connected to Mammoth.).
It's just easier for the government to LOOK like they're doing something meaningful by closing caves...except they don't close tourist caves that bring in money.
So having said alllllll that, there is a risk of human transmission of the disease. However, there are proven decontamination protocols that, when followed, kill the WNS spores.
As a former board member of the Karst Conservancy of Illinois, we had decon requirements, plus a dedicated boot policy for our caves. In other words, if you wanted to enter cave "A," you had to have a pair of boots that you agreed would only be worn in cave "A." If you wanted to visit cave "B," then decon your gear and buy a second pair of boots.
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