A mysterious disease that is killing bats across western New England and New York is spreading eastward across Vermont.
Officials with the Department of Fish and Wildlife say several dead bats have been found in Norwich and Strafford around the site of the old Elizabeth Mine.
Previously, the disease, which creates a white ring around the bats noses, had been only found in hibernating caves in western Vermont.
As recently as three weeks ago no signs of the disease was found in hibernating bats in the Elizabeth Mine.
Biologists caution that death counts are hard to estimate, but they say they would not be surprised if more than 100,000 bats died this winter in the region.