‘Bat feast’ animal videos at African cave offer clues to how deadly viruses spread
Researchers filmed 10 species eating or scavenging bats at known Marburg-virus hotspot—and caught hundreds of humans visiting
Researchers caught an African leopard on camera eating bats from a cave in Uganda. It might be the first confirmation that leopards eat live bats.
Bosco Atukwatse/VSPT Kyambura Lion Project
In Uganda, researchers set up camera traps last year aimed at observing African leopards (Panthera pardus pardus) and spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) in a national park. Unexpectedly, these cameras captured more than anticipated, recording a variety of animals feasting on Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) near a cave. These bats are known carriers of the Marburg virus, which can be transmitted to humans, causing a deadly hemorrhagic fever. The footage provides a real-time look at potential pathways for virus transmission.
While past research has shown that bats can transfer viruses to humans either directly or through another animal, this is believed to be the first instance where potential intermediate hosts have been caught on video in a Marburg virus hotspot. Gábor Kemenesi, a virologist at the University of Pécs in Hungary, who was not involved in the study, emphasized the significance of this documentation.
The study, published in Current Biology after an earlier preprint on Zenodo, documented 10 species either scavenging or hunting bats in Python Cave, located in Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth National Park. Observations included blue monkeys (Cercopithecus mitis) grabbing bats, a confrontation between a crowned eagle (Stephanoaetus coronatus) and a Nile monitor (Varanus niloticus) over captured bats, and a leopard reaching into the cave to catch bats. This may be the first recorded evidence of leopards actively hunting bats. “We’d never seen it before,” said Alexander Braczkowski, the scientific director of the Kyambura Lion Project in Kampala. “Sometimes he would eat 30, 40 bats in a night.”
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Dangerous visits
Even more surprising was the video evidence of over 200 people—including tourists, wildlife institute trainees, and school groups—visiting the cave during the four months the cameras were operational. Only one tourist wore a mask, despite warnings about the Marburg virus, which has no proven treatment or vaccine.
“I was pretty shocked,” commented Elke Mühlberger, a virologist at Boston University. Contact with caves is the most significant known factor in humans contracting the Marburg virus. Adam Hume, another virologist at Boston University, shared an unpublished analysis indicating that 43% of the 21 Marburg outbreaks since 1967 were linked to cave visits, while 29% were not, with the rest having unknown causes.
Members of the Kyambura Lion Project check their camera traps at Python Cave: from left are Yahaya Ssemakula, Bosco Atukwatse, Johnson Muhereza and Winfred Nsabimana.
Python Cave bats have been directly linked to Marburg outbreaks. A 2007 outbreak at Kitaka mine, 50 kilometers away, was traced back to bats migrating between the sites. Two tourists visiting the cave in 2007 and 2008 contracted the virus; one died. Conflicting reports exist about their exact proximity to the cave, but one survivor recounted being inside for 30 minutes and possibly contacting bat waste.
Warning signs
These incidents led to a viewing platform being constructed 30 meters from the cave entrance in 2011, accompanied by warning signs to deter visitors. “From a tourism standpoint, you obviously don’t want your visitors potentially becoming infected,” says Trevor Shoemaker, an epidemiologist at the CDC involved in the project.
Despite these precautions, visitors continue to ignore the warnings, approaching dangerously close to the cave. This was not apparent until the camera traps were set up, according to Bosco Atukwatse, an ecologist with the Kyambura Lion Project, who has since informed park managers of the findings.
The Uganda Wildlife Authority, responsible for managing Python Cave and the surrounding area, did not respond to Nature’s request for comment.
Discovering the diverse animal life and linking Python Cave to Marburg history was a revelation for the team, Braczkowski noted. “It’s not just a bat roost.”
This article is reproduced with permission and was first published on April 20, 2026.
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