ZAMBIA | BAT MIGRATION
A UNIQUE PHENOMENON—KASANKA NATIONAL PARK’S ANNUAL
Bat Migration WRITER: CHRISTELLE MALLANTS PHOTOGRAPHY: ANGELA STAVROU, KATIE SEIDEL, RICHARD PEEL
asanka National Park, in Zambia’s Central Province, is the scene of one of the greatest wildlife spectacles on Earth. From October to December each year, about 10 million straw-coloured fruit bats migrate across from Central Africa to a small patch of swamp forest in the centre of the park to feast on an abundance of fruit ripening at this time of the year. Bats provide valuable services to humans but sadly, all around the world, there are more and more misconceptions of their purpose, their necessity and their character. These incredible creatures are becoming extinct and it’s a concern because they contribute to the ecosystem more than we could ever imagine.
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TRAVEL & LEISURE | ISSUE 17 | NOVEMBER 2020–APRIL 2021
Bats are important for global biodiversity and ecosystem health, and many bat species have adapted to living safely alongside us in both urban and rural environments; in our gardens, parks and even roosting around our homes as beneficial neighbours. The ecological roles of bats include pollinating and dispersing the seeds of hundreds of species of plants. For example, bats serve as major pollinators of
