Scientists Estimate Up to 6.7 Million Bats Dead From Fast-spreading Disease

A mysterious, fast-moving disease has now killed as many as 6.7 million bats in North America over the past six years, according to an estimate released today by bat biologists. The new estimate is dramatically higher than the previous one, dating from 2009, that white-nose syndrome had killed 1 million bats on the continent. The disease was first discovered in upstate New York in 2006 and has spread from Nova Scotia to Tennessee, infecting bat colonies in 16 states and four provinces.