By Angela Hatton
Nashville, TN – The USDA Forest Service has identified nine bat species in Kentucky and Tennessee that are susceptible to white nose syndrome or WNS. More than a million bats have died from the fungal disease, which causes weight loss and disrupts hibernation cycles. So far, officials have confirmed WNS in eleven states, including northwestern Tennessee. Many caves are now closed to the public in order to limit the spread of the disease.