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Bats Rebound in NY White-Nose Caves

USFWS

There are more bats in caves first struck by white-nose syndrome, giving researchers a glimmer of hope in the scourge that has killed millions of bats in North America.  More from WAMC's Dave Lucas...

Figures released Thursday by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation to The Associated Press show an uptick in the number of little brown bats in three out of five upstate New York hibernation caves where white nose was first documented. Populations in those caves had been decimated by the disease, which prompts bats to wake from hibernation and die in a futile search for food.

Agency officials say they're "cautiously optimistic." But they say it's too soon to conclude that a population recovery is under way, in part because of the small number of caves showing increases.

Dave Lucas, WAMC News.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.