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Hibernia

An illustrated panel shows two people walking a trail into the woods; the drawing is in black-and-white. The text reads, "One evening in August, Doug and I walked the trail to the old Hibernia Mines in Rockaway Township, New Jersey."
The first panel shows a sign reading "Bat Hibernaculum Trail." The text reads, "We were hoping to see bats." The second panel shows a cave with fog pooled around it. The text reads, "Cool air blanketed the ground around the cave's entrance."
The drawing shows miners with candle lamps to see by. The text reads, "The Hibernia Mines date back to at least 1722; the iron mines were used continuously until they were abandoned in 1913."
The first panel shows several bats in flight. The text reads, "Bats were first documented in the mines in the 1930s. No one knows when they arrived--perhaps before the closure." The second panel shows the entrance to the mine blocked off. The text reads, "The main entrance to the mine was gated in 1994, allowing bats to come and go but keeping people out."
The drawing shows many bats at night flying above the treetops. The text reads, "When he lived nearby, Doug had watched the bats leave the mines on their nightly hunt. But that was ten years ago."
Text at the top reads, "The Hibernia Mines were once home to about 30,000 bats. Then came white-nose syndrome. First seen in 2006-07 in a cave near Albany, it arrived in New Jersey in 2009. The syndrome, caused by a fungus, invaded hibernating bats' tissues, causing them to move around (using up precious stored energy), and eventually die of hunger. The first image shows two people sitting outside the bat cave. The text reads, "The current bat estimate in the mines is only 300-600. We settled in to wait for dark." The next panel shows a bear walking above the mine entrance. The text reads, "Bear? BEAR." The next panel shows a tripod and stick being banged against a tree. The text reads, "We tried to make noise to deter the small black bear from coming closer."
The first panel shows a bear walking. The text reads, "The bear continued on." The second panel shows a cricket, and the text reads, "The woods became darker, and noiser. Crickets chirped." The next panel shows a katydid on a tree, and reads, "Katydids sang." The next panel shows a screech owl calling from a tree, and reads, "An eastern screech owl called form a tree near the entrance to the mines."
"But there were no bats; no bat sounds." The panel shows one bat in flight and reads, "Finally, a lone bat flew by. I wish I could say seeing that one bat made things seem better, but it had the opposite effect."

Hibernia is included in Pieces: Short Comics.

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