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A Bat-Killing Plague Marches Westward
The devastating white-nose syndrome (WNS) disease discussed in The Bat Scientists has killed more than 5.7 million bats. WNS has spread to 21 U.S. states and 4 Canadian provinces since it was discovered in a New York cave in 2006. Nine bat species have now been infected, including federally endangered Indiana bats and gray bats. Wildlife and park agencies continue to restrict access to caves to slow the spread of WNS, and researchers are exploring the possibility of treatments. However, so far no safe solution is on the horizon.
by Mary Kay Carson
About Mary Kay Carson
Mary Kay Carson and Tom Uhlman are the author and illustrator of Emi and the Rhino Scientist and The Bat Scientists. Mary Kay has written many books for children and Tom has been a freelance photographer for twenty years. They live in Cincinnati, Ohio, with their dog Ruby where they wait each summer evening for the bats to begin circling above their backyard pond. Tom also shot photographs for Eruption!, a Scientists in the Field book about volcanoes by Liz Rusch. Mary Kay and Tom’s upcoming Scientists in the Field book is Park Scientists: Gila Monsters, Geysers, and Grizzly Bears in America’s Own Backyard, which is about America’s National Parks.
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