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A new
survey shows bat populations in hibernation caves struck by deadly
white-nose syndrome plunged by an average of 91 percent.
The
survey released Wednesday by New York’s Department of Environmental
Conservation looked at bat populations in 23 caves hit by white nose
and compared them to past counts. There were different rates of
decline among different types of bats, but an average population
drop of 91 percent.
Most
of the 23 caves are in eastern New York. Four are in western
Massachusetts and one is in Vermont.
White-nose is estimated to have killed more than a million bats
since it was first noticed in upstate New York in 2006.
It
has been confirmed in nine states: Massachusetts, Connecticut,
Vermont, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania,
Virginia, and West Virginia.
-The Associated Press, 12-17-09 |