In 2023, Jesuloba, an 18-year-old student at Obafemi Awolowo University in southwestern Nigeria, left her hostel in Mozambique Hall and headed toward her faculty to study. On reaching the famous ‘as e dey hot’ junction, she saw a tall tree with branches laden with bats hanging upside down.
Across the road, opposite the junction, there was a white Toyota Hilux van with armed local hunters and market women, some tying wrappers and holding large buckets.
Moments later, as she stood at the junction, she heard a sudden, deafening ‘gboa’—a shot fired by the local hunters to target the bats. Instinctively, she ducked and shouted, “Jesus!” as she and a few others scrambled for cover.
Reflecting on this incident, Jesuloba told EcoPivot, “I was close to the tree when they fired the gun into the air. It felt like the sound blasted right through my head.” That was her first encounter with bat hunters in her first year at university. Over a year later, like many other students, she has grown accustomed to the frequent sound of gunshots heard every Saturday morning on campus. “Sometimes, I’m in my hostel, and hear ‘gboa’. Then, I see bats scattering in the sky, and I know the hunters are at work,” she explained.
World’s Bat Population
Bats are a crucial part of the world’s ecosystem, with over 1,400 species found worldwide. These species are divided into two categories: Megachiroptera (mega-bats), also known as Old World Fruit Bats, which primarily feed on fruit, and Microchiroptera (micro-bats), which primarily feed on small mammals and fish. Africa is home to about 20% of the world’s bat population, with roughly 250 species. The straw-coloured fruit bat (Eidolon helvum) is the most widespread in tropical Africa.
In southwestern Nigeria, the OAU campus community, covering over 5,600 hectares, houses a large colony of straw-coloured fruit bats. Professor Eyo E. Okon, a zoology expert at the university, once described the campus community as comprising three groups: students, staff, and straw-coloured fruit bats.
Hunting Process
Bat hunting is a long-standing tradition in rural African communities, where wild animals, including bats, are hunted for food, known locally as bushmeat. However, in recent decades, this practice has expanded from personal consumption to commercial trade.
With its high concentration of fruit bats, OAU’s campus has become a prime location for hunting. Investigations by EcoPivot revealed that OAU Safety Corps, previously known as ‘Crackers’, collaborate with local hunters and market women to hunt the fruit bats.
The hunting typically occurs on Saturday mornings when semi-large groups of hunters armed with guns and wooden sticks work in teams to bring down the bats.
“The bats fly out at 7:30 p.m. to neighbouring towns in search of soft fruits like mangoes and pawpaw. They return to campus by 4:30 a.m., roosting on the trees,” one of the hunters explained.
The hunters use special cartridges that contain about 70 bullets. When fired, the cartridge spreads and kills many bats at once, with a single shot killing as many as 30 bats. After the bats fall to the ground, the hunters beat them with sticks to ensure they are dead. The market women gather the carcasses into their buckets and move to the next tree.
In some cases, bats are also caught at water bodies. “They go to dams to drink water by swooping down and using their tongues or jaws. Sometimes, they get caught in fishing nets spread across the water,” the hunter added.
Bat Hunting Business
In Western and Central Africa, the demand for bushmeat is estimated at 4.5 million tonnes annually, with bats being one of the most hunted species. In a study on human-bat coexistence in southwestern Nigeria, over two-thirds of participants admitted to enjoying bat meat.
EcoPivot learned that the bat-hunting business is highly lucrative. According to one of the hunters, “On a single Saturday, we can kill up to 1,000 bats and make around ₦600,000. We sell one bat for ₦600.” The market women process the bats and sell the meat at local beer parlors; roadside stands along the Ife-Ibadan expressway, and even at major festivals like the ‘Olomo’ Festival.
Environmental and Health Implications
While bat hunting is lucrative, it raises serious environmental and health concerns. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the straw-coloured fruit bat as a near-threatened species due to overhunting. Unlike other animals, these bats have slow reproductive rates and roost in large, visible clusters, making them easy targets for hunters.
Bats play a crucial role in maintaining ecosystem balance. As fruit eaters, they help pollinate plants like mangoes, bananas, and cashews while dispersing seeds. Their droppings, known as guano, are also a valuable natural fertilizer. Micro-bats, on the other hand, are excellent for pest control, capable of consuming over 1,000 insects in an hour, reducing farmers’ reliance on pesticides.
However, hunters in OAU remain unconcerned. When asked if bats could ever become extinct, one hunter casually responded, “Can humans ever finish in this world?” He explained that as long as the bats continue to reproduce, there will always be plenty to hunt. Although hunting has slowed in recent weeks in the campus vicinity due to the bats migrating to other areas to mate, the hunters are hopeful that when they return, they will bring new offspring that can be hunted.
Beyond the environmental concerns, there is a significant risk of zoonotic disease transmission. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 75% of emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic, meaning they originate from animals. Fruit bats are known carriers of viruses like Ebola, lyssaviruses, and henipaviruses. During the 2014 Ebola outbreak, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned against hunting and eating bats, emphasizing the risk of handling infected animals.
The hunters, however, believe these concerns are exaggerated.
“Yes, there was Ebola, but it didn’t come from Nigerian bats,” the hunter argued. While the fear of the virus temporarily reduced bat consumption, demand steadily increases.
Bat Conservation: A Race Against Time
In response to growing concerns, during a meeting on January 19, 2024, the Nigerian government discussed the risks of human-bat interactions. Dr. Oyeladun Okunromade, Head of Surveillance and Epidemiology at NDDC, raised concerns about the increasing human exposure to bat fluids, which could lead to disease transmission.
Ali Pate, Minister of Health, emphasized the need for improved wildlife surveillance. However, current laws do not protect bats, as they are not classified under the Endangered Species Act.
Meanwhile, Professor Tayo Kehinde, an animal conservation expert in the Department of Zoology, Obafemi Awolowo University, speaking with EcoPivot, called for urgent action to protect bats from excessive hunting, warning that their decline could disrupt the ecosystem. “Anything that impacts biodiversity will definitely have a cascading effect on ecosystem services, and pollination is one such service, mainly provided by insects and bats. So, whatever stressors, such as hunting or illegal poaching, that negatively impact biodiversity will also affect pollination and seed dispersal,” he said.
While acknowledging that bats could sometimes become a nuisance, he emphasized the importance of balance. “There’s a level at which they can be hunted without major impact, but pollination will suffer once their population declines significantly.”
“To a large extent, people should be aware. Many local people don’t realize the link between these animals and disease pathogens. While it may be difficult to stop hunting entirely, awareness is key. If hunters understand the risks, they can process bats properly, reducing contact that could otherwise transmit diseases.“
To address these concerns, Professor Kehinde urged increased investment in research. “The first thing we need to do is research. We need to investigate and understand the status of our bat community—how many species exist, where they are found, and what threats they face. Poaching is just one factor; habitat destruction is another, as bats are arboreal creatures. Cutting down trees removes their habitat, leading to further population decline.”
Beyond research, he also stressed the importance of policy enforcement. “It’s one thing to have policies to protect bats, and it’s another to ensure compliance. Without enforcement, conservation efforts will be ineffective,” he said.
However, while conservationists like Professor Kehinde advocated for increased awareness and research, Jesuloba urged the university to take action. “This is a school environment. Hearing gunshots all the time is not normal,” she said. “The university management should regulate hunting activities, perhaps limiting it to once a month to reduce the frequency of gunshots in the academic environment.“