Our friends the bats

There are times when we really slow down to look for the really small things. 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. 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 five species of false vampire bat in Africa.

After this sighting, I realised there are so many bat species, yet very few people know much about them, except perhaps for a few old wives tales. We noted that there are about 400 mammal species in Kenya, with bats consisting of about 25 per cent of all mammal species, approximately 100 species are found in Kenya.

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 echo-location 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 mosquitos in a single night, therefore reducing diseases like malaria. Other species also eat many crop-destroying insects. Yes! It's true, bats are an incredible creation, and are actually our friends.

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

For more information on the park, you can link to www.kws.go.ke