A manmade island in Washington D.C. provides an ideal setting for biologists who study bats.
这座位于华盛顿的人造岛为生物学家研究蝙蝠提供了理想场所。
What scientists do is install these temporary nets to trap bats so they can be studied and checked for any disease.
科学工作者要做的就是设网捕获蝙蝠，从而对它们进行疾病检测和研究。
With a grant from the US Fish and Wildlife Service,
得到美国鱼类及野生动植物管理局的授权后，
biologists are focusing on whether these nocturnal mammals suffered from the so-called white-nose syndrome.
生物学家的研究重心是这些夜间哺乳动物是否罹患了白鼻症。
Since 2007, this mysterious disease has killed more than 6 million bats in North America.
自2007年开始，北美有超过600万蝙蝠因此而送命。
It typically have one pop a year when they reproduce,
这种疾病一般会在蝙蝠繁殖期爆发一次，
so that is another reason that white nose has been so detrimental, you know, they don't have a lot of babies.
这也是为什么白鼻症对蝙蝠有害的原因，因为繁殖数量就会减少。
The syndrome is not contagious to humans but people entering caves may unintentionally carry in spores of the fungus that causes it.
这种疾病不会传染给人类，但进入山洞的人也可能会携带病菌孢子，从而引发疾病。
In this dark, wet conditions, the fungus spreads rapidly, leads to erratic behavior in bats, explains biologist Lindsay Rohrbaugh.
生物学家林赛·罗尔博解释说，在黑暗潮湿的环境下，真菌迅速传播，导致蝙蝠的行为变得怪异。

These bats are arousing more often than they are supposed to be during hibernation,
患病的蝙蝠在冬眠期异常兴奋，而当他们醒来，
and when they do that, they are unable to find food and they unfortunately die.
他们无法找到食物，最终会被饿死。
The bats of these important pollinators have direct consequences on the quality of human life, Rohrbaugh says.
罗尔博称蝙蝠作为传粉使者，他们对人类的生活质量有着直接影响。
Without bats, we were seeing an increasing in mosquitoes and other pests that are decimating food sources for us.
没有蝙蝠的话，蚊子和其他一些害虫的数量就会增加，就会毁坏庄稼和粮食。
And I think that's all gonna getting worse over time if we don't find some way to protect this species that we have left.
所以，我认为我们必须做些什么去保护这些被我们忽视的物种，不然情况只会更糟。
One theory is that certain by its species no longer return to caves to avoid contamination
一种理论说为了避免白鼻症的蔓延，蝙蝠会迁徙出洞穴
and their presence in cities makes it increasingly important that humans know how to behave if they encounter a bat.
来到城市，所以对人类来说，迎面看到一只蝙蝠后该如何反应是非常重要的。
You should not touch it, not disturb it. I don't want anybody being dead on the very 1% chance of that bats has rabies.
不要去碰，不要去打扰它，我可不希望看到有人因狂犬病而死亡，因为蝙蝠携带狂犬病毒的几率也是非常小。
We should call their animal control officers to come and remove the bat for them.
我们会找来动物控制中心的负责人替他们处理蝙蝠。
Veronica Valero Celestias, VOA News, Washington.
美国之音，维拉妮卡·勒斯蒂亚为您从华盛顿带来的报道。