"Environmentalists Say 'Threatened' Status For Bats Not Enough"

"Millions of bats are dying due to a deadly disease sweeping across the United States, their tiny bodies strewn across cave floors.

The northern long-eared bat is one of the bat species that was hardest hit by the white-nose syndrome, a deadly fungal disease. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service finalized new regulations on Thursday to protect the species — but some environmentalists say the government should be doing more.

The new regulations list the species as "threatened." Dan Ashe, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, says biologists will now be able to do more to protect the caves where the bats hibernate and part of the forest where the bats live in summer."

Brian Mann reports for NPR's All Things Considered January 14, 2016.