Help Us Help Connecticut’s Bats!

Help monitor Connecticut's bat populations, like these little brown bats, by reporting sightings to the DEEP Wildlife Division.

Whether you’ve seen a bat out during winter; one or more roosting in your bat house, barn, or eaves during summer; or even a dead bat, the Wildlife Division wants to hear about it. Use the Public Bat Sightings Form (Word Form / PDF) to report your observations. A digital photograph or cell phone photo of the bat(s) is extremely helpful. Photos may be sent with the Bat Sighting Form or e-mailed to deep.batprogram@ct.gov.

If you find a dead bat(s), please do not discard it. The Wildlife Division may be interested in the carcass. Save the carcass by double bagging it (WEAR GLOVES!) and placing it on ice or in a freezer. Contact the Bat Program at the Wildlife Division’s Sessions Woods Office for additional information (860-675-8130; deep.batprogram@ct.gov). NEVER touch a live bat. Bats will bite to protect themselves!

White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a disease affecting hibernating bats. Named for the white fungus that appears on the muzzle and other body parts of hibernating bats, WNS is associated with extensive mortality of bats in eastern North America. The white fungus is clearly visible on the hibernating little brown bat on the left.

Information gathered through the Public Bat Sighting Forms will help us understand how bats are doing in the wake of white-nose syndrome (WNS), a deadly disease that has killed over 5.5 million bats since it was documented in New York in the winter of 2006-2007. Named for the white fungus (Geomyces destructans) seen on a bat’s nose and/or wings while in hibernation, WNS has spread from as far north as Canada, south to Alabama, and west to Missouri (although the fungus was detected in Oklahoma). Learn more about WNS on the white nose syndrome web page.

If you would like to be contacted by the Wildlife Division after you submit your Public Bat Sighting Form, please make note of it on the form. Thank you for taking the time to help Connecticut’s bats!

Further questions or comments on bats and WNS can be submitted to the DEEP Wildlife Division Bat Program, at Sessions Woods WMA, P.O. Box 1550, Burlington, CT 06013; 860-675-8130; deep.batprogram@ct.gov.

For More Information:

To learn more about bats and white nose syndrome, read the following articles from the Wildlife Division's bimonthly magazine, Connecticut Wildlife.

The Race to Save Bats Continues  CT Wildlife (PDF)
What You Didn't Know About Bats  CT Wildlife (PDF)
White-nose Syndrome Devastates CT's Hibernating Bats  CT Wildlife (PDF)
Bad News for Bat Conservation CT Wildlife (PDF)

Content last updated on October 31, 2012.