Migration of Fruit Bats

In October/November every year, flocks of large fruit bats descend on our town
about 3 months later they leave, it is believed back to the DRC.

The weight of their numbers can cause branches to collapse and they are very noisy when being harassed by the crows. They stay in the same spot every year, about 3 blocks from our house.

Fruit bats have dog-like faces with small ears, large eyes and a long snout. The wingspan can reach 85cm making them the largest bat in Southern Africa.

They are fascinating to study as they land upright on a branch, crawl along using four limbs over sleeping friends, until a suitable place is found, then drop into a hanging position only to be disturbed by one of the multitude of bats also clinging to the same small portion of branch. From this inverted position, the bats clean themselves, mate, urinate and perform most bodily functions associated with resting animals. Take off is very easy ? let go with the feet and flap.

Please note how they cling, in clusters, to the branches.

At dusk the noise and activity from the colony increases. Scouts fly out first and then in a seemingly ordered fashion the entire colony stream out of their roost in search of food. For 25minutes the sky is full of bats for as far as the eye can see, as they disperse over a 360 degree radius from the trees.

This is a spectacle not to be missed. Some of the world?s most experienced bat researchers have described it as a sight, once seen, never forgotten.

NB:Bats are protected under the Zambia Wildlife
Act and cannot be harmed or tampered with.