Camera Traps Reveal 10 Predators Feasting on Bats in Uganda Cave
Remote cameras set up outside Python Cave in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda, captured 10 different predator species, including leopards, blue monkeys, and eagles, hunting Egyptian fruit bats. The cave hosts around 40,000 bats and is a known reservoir for the Marburg virus. Researchers observed a leopard eating up to 40 bats in a night, marking the first documented evidence of leopards actively hunting live bats. The study, published in Current Biology, also recorded over 200 people approaching the cave during four months, with only one tourist wearing a mask despite Marburg virus warnings. The findings may help explain virus transmission between species.
Key facts
- Camera traps recorded 10 predator species at Python Cave in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda.
- The cave is home to around 40,000 Egyptian fruit bats and is a Marburg virus reservoir.
- Footage includes an eagle, a blue monkey, and an African leopard hunting bats.
- Study author Alexander Braczkowski says leopards eating up to 40 bats a night has never been seen before.
- Findings published Monday in Current Biology.
- Over 200 people approached the cave during the four-month study, including tourists and school groups.
- Only one visitor wore a mask, despite Marburg virus risk with no approved treatment or vaccine.
- Python Cave was linked to Marburg outbreaks in 2007 and 2008, with two tourists infected and one death.
Entities
Institutions
- Kyambura Lion Project
- Nature
- Current Biology
Locations
- Python Cave
- Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Uganda
- Kampala
- Kitaka mine