The Government has set aside over Ksh20 million for the research on the migration habits of bats in a bid to combat diseases associated with the animal.
The Kenya National Museum Of Kenya Director General Mzalendo Kibunjia, while speaking in Mombasa, stated that bats can fly all the way to Zanzibar and back which can have serious medical implications.
“The bats also play a major role in combating diseases by helping in the natural control of insects and pests by feeding on them,” he revealed.
“This project is important because it leads to enhanced public health security for our people which is a driver of the economy,” Kibunja added.
This comes a few weeks after researchers claimed to have discovered a different type of Ebola virus in a species of bats in the Taita Hills.
Despite the researchers' assurances that the Bombali Ebola virus was not deadly as the one that is spreading in Congo in the recent past, there have been concerns over other diseases that the bats might have come in contact with during the migration process.
According to the researchers drawn from Maasai Mara University, the University of Nairobi and the University of Helsinki, the new virus was found in an Angolan free-tailed bat.
Dr. Paul Webala, a member of the research team who is based at the Maasai Mara University, went on to state that there was no fear at the moment over the disease.
“Given the vast distance between Sierra Leone and Kenya, and that the bat species involved are not believed to travel large distances, there is no danger of infection,” revealed Webala.
