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Cover Story

Grades 4-6

What Is Killing Bats?

Thousands of bats in the Northeast are dying, and no one knows why. Scientists are conducting investigations to determine the cause and stop the spread of deaths, which have been most heavily reported in New York, Vermont and Massachusetts.

"Most bat researchers would agree that this is the gravest threat to bats they have ever seen," says Alan Hicks, a bat specialist who works with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation.

There are few clues about the cause of the die-off. Bats are vulnerable to contagious disease because they hibernate in close contact. In some caves, there are clusters of 300 bats per square foot. Environmental officials are asking people to stay out of bat caves to avoid spreading the mysterious sickness while they work to find out what it is.

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