OUR FRIENDS THE BATS OF THE NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK

Sometimes, there are times when we really slow down to look for the really small things. One morning as we drove slowly down the hill towards the hippo pools, I suddenly noticed a moment that at first, I thought was a bird, but as I looked again it was clear to me that birds do not roost upside down. Our reward came in the form of some bats, that were flushed out of their roosting tree by birds. Because we were sitting quietly they flew quite close to us, and we noted that they were tiny with yellow wings, large ears and an elongated sensor-nose. We later found out that they are called yellow-winged bats (Lavia frons) one of the five species of false vampire bat in Africa.

After this sighting, I realized that there are so many bat species, yet very few people know much about them, except perhaps for a few old wives tales. It is estimated that there are about 400 mammal species in Kenya, with bats consisting of about 25% of all mammal species, approximately 100 species are found in Kenya. Therefore bats are by far the most numerous species of mammals in the Nairobi National Park, however, most people don’t know this because bats are nocturnal. Bats are the only mammals that can fly with extreme skill over long distances. Many people have a negative opinion of bats, believing they are dirty, ugly or might have rabies.

However, bats are really amazing, in how much they make life better for many people. They are incredible in that they use specialised echolocation techniques to find their prey and “see” their surroundings. They make echo-calls that travel through the air to locate prey. The echo-calls bounce off prey and echo back to the bat, letting them know exactly where the prey is by making up to 160 calls per second, to allow a fast and accurate strike. Bats significantly reduce insects when feeding and can consume hundreds of mosquitoes in a single night, therefore reducing diseases like malaria. Other species also eat many crop-destroying insects. Yes!! its true, bats are an incredible creation and are actually our friends.

The park is open daily from 06h00 to 19h00.