Video: Dying bats called No. 1 mammal crisis in U.S.

At the mention of the word bat, many people conjure up images of scary, bloodsucking night creatures. But what most people don't realize is how critical bats are to our environment. Without bats there would be a huge increase in the number of bugs. Farmers throughout the country actually value and depend on bats to eat 100,000 tons of crop destroying bugs a year. Bats contribute an estimated $23 billion annually to the agricultural industry through insect control and pollination.But there is a crisis brewing at a very rapid rate concerning bats. They are dying off at a lightening fast rate and this is being called the number one mammal crisis in America. Wildlife officials have pinpointed to a fungus that is killing off so many bats. This fungus is known as White Nose syndrome and has so far destroyed up to a million bats in 18 east coast states. It leaves a fungus on the nose, wings and body of the body and eventually causes death by starvation.Scientists and wildlife officials are in a race against time to keep this fungus from spreading out west. There is currently no cure for White Nose syndrome and all scientists can do is try to figure out why it is occurring as there are no fund available to try and stop it.The fungus was found only 5 years ago in a cave near Albany, NY and it is assumed that it spread through contact with hikers who have then carried it beyond this original starting place. A possible suggestion to stop this fungus from spreading is to close off all bat carrying caves to hikers to prevent them from spreading it from cave to cave.If the bats continue to die off at the current rate, insects will increase exponentially and the use of pesticides will have to increase.The extra cost of the pesticides will then cause the price of groceries to go up. This trickle-down effect will continue to cause disasterous results in many other areas of American life. The importance of the health of the little bat has never been more critical.