In 2016, Dr. Cliff travelled to Jamaica to accompany members of the Jamaican Cave Organization on a trek. Their mission was to get to the St. Clair Cave, located near Ewarton, St. Catherine. This was home to the Jamaican Greater Funnel Eared Bat, a rare species that was severely endangered, with only a few hundred survivors at that time. They needed to trap a few to study and understand what was happening to their population.
In this initial episode, you will travel with the crew on a hike that was far from relaxing. It was hot, sticky and awash with mosquitos the entire way. The ground was uneven, soggy, rocky and challenging. And they even had to traverse a tricky fast-flowing river with cameras and equipment in tow. But none of that dampened Dr. Cliff’s enthusiasm. As a proud fan of Dungeons and Dragons, he simply could not wait to get to a cave that promised bat feces, cockroaches and feral cats.
The St. Clair Cave
The St. Clair Cave is isolated from the others and has created its own ecosystem. An estimated 50,000 bats of various genomes reside here. However, the Jamaican Greater Funnel Eared Bat is unique and endemic to this cave only. They do not exist anywhere else in the world. While an unknown matter was killing them off, a population of feral cats was hastening their decline. The cats, an invasive species in Jamaica, were growing in numbers. The caves provided them with an abundance of food.
Looking for bats is not for the faint of heart. The troop faced perilous exposure to airborne fungi, parasites, poisonous gas fumes and declining oxygen levels. Yet they soldiered along only to discover a killing field, where the cats had freshly slaughtered pounds of bats. When they finally found a bat, hanging and alive, he looked dehydrated and far from healthy.
Something was going on with this species of bats and they needed to capture and study a few living specimens. Watch the guide discuss White Nose Syndrome, one of the worst wildlife diseases of modern times, that is desecrating bat populations across North America. Could that be the problem with the Greater Funnel Eared Bat? Or was it something else? Here’s more in Episode 2.
About The Jamaican Caves Organization
The Jamaican Caves Organization is a not-for-profit group founded in 2002 and run by cave enthusiasts dedicated to the discovery, exploration, and preservation of the caves and karst of Jamaica. For more information or to donate, visit The Jamaican Caves Organization.
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About Dr. Cliff
Dr. Cliff Redford, DVM, is an experienced veterinarian and owner/operator of the Wellington Veterinary Hospital in Markham, Ontario, Canada. Fondly known as Dr. Cliff to his clients, he has tended to the wellness of pets and animals for over two decades. Hands-on experience in his clinic, combined with animal advocacy and rescue missions locally and across the globe, has allowed him to curate a vast body of knowledge on animal health and welfare, including preventative counselling, soft tissue surgery, advanced dental procedures, internal medicine and emergency care.