Tennessee Viking
04-04-2009, 20:45
Bat Disease Prompts Smokies To Close Caves
By News Channel 11 ([email protected])
Published: April 4, 2009
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Federal officials are asking people in
Tennessee to stay out of caves where bats hibernate. They’re
attempting to stop the spread of a disease that’s killed an
estimated half-million bats in the Northeast.
Bats are dying from what the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
calls “white-nose syndrome,“ a fungus that causes bats to come
out of hibernation early, leading to starvation.
The Knoxville News Sentinel reports the Great Smoky Mountains
National Park has closed 17 caves and two mine complexes. Violators
could face a fine as high as $5,000, or six months in jail.
Officials with the Cherokee National Forest in East Tennessee
say they will soon make a decision on closing caves on the forest’s
635,000 acres that surrounds the Smokies.
—-
Information from: The Knoxville News Sentinel,
By News Channel 11 ([email protected])
Published: April 4, 2009
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Federal officials are asking people in
Tennessee to stay out of caves where bats hibernate. They’re
attempting to stop the spread of a disease that’s killed an
estimated half-million bats in the Northeast.
Bats are dying from what the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
calls “white-nose syndrome,“ a fungus that causes bats to come
out of hibernation early, leading to starvation.
The Knoxville News Sentinel reports the Great Smoky Mountains
National Park has closed 17 caves and two mine complexes. Violators
could face a fine as high as $5,000, or six months in jail.
Officials with the Cherokee National Forest in East Tennessee
say they will soon make a decision on closing caves on the forest’s
635,000 acres that surrounds the Smokies.
—-
Information from: The Knoxville News Sentinel,