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Thousands of bats(蝙蝠)in the Northeast are dying, and no one knows why. Scientists are conducting investigations(开展调查) to find out the cause and stop the spread of deaths, which have been most heavily reported in New York, Vermont and Massachusetts.
"Most bat researchers agree that this is the most serious threat to bats they have ever seen, " says Alan Hicks, a bat expert who works in the New York Department of Environmental Conservation.
There are few clues about the cause of the deaths. Bats are easy to catch the contagious disease(传染病) because they hibernate(冬眠) together. In some caves, there are 300 bats per square foot. Environmental officials are asking people to stay out of bat caves to avoid spreading the mysterious(神秘的) sickness while they are working to find out what it is.
