Three Bat Species Listed as Endangered under SARA

The Government of Canada has now added three species of bats to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk in Canada (also known as Schedule I of the Species at Risk Act (SARA)). The little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus), the northern myotis (Myotis septentrionalis), and the tri-colored bat (Perimyotis subflavus) have been listed as Endangered. AWA supports this decision and applauds the government for implementing the Emergency Listing Order (ELO). Two of the three hibernating bat species, the little brown myotis and the northern myotis, are found in Alberta and their survival is threatened by White Nose Syndrome – a disease caused by a foreign fungus that has devastated bat populations in eastern North America. AWA has been advocating for their listing under SARA since the 2012 COSEWIC recommendation for the ELO due to this imminent threat. To learn more about the ELO click here or click on the link below to read AWA’s 2013 letter to (then) Environment Minister Peter Kent.