Zambia - Event

The fruit-bat migration to Kasanka is said to be the largest congregation of mammals in Africa, possibly even the world, beating the wildebeest migration about five times over. Watching the flying mammals rule the twilight sky is an unforgettable sight.

At about 6pm, the Zambian horizon darkens as around eight million straw-coloured fruitbats - recognisable by their golden, tawny fur, large orange eyes and dog-like facial features - fill the balmy skies, searching for their fruity breakfast. Returning at dawn with a belly full of mangos and waterberries, the nocturnal animals begin their daytime roost.

African fruit bats migrate from all over Central Africa to the mushitu, or swampforest, by the Musola and Kansanka rivers. By day, watch them roost in the trees, as they crawl over sleeping friends, chirping before settling down to rest. Hundreds of hanging bats can be seen clinging upside-down to a single branch - which sometimes breaks under the sheer weight of bats, to the delight of crocodiles and snakes waiting eagerly below. The animals are also a prime target for eagles, who snap them up mid-flight or mid-sleep.

As January approaches, the fruit bats flap back to the Congo, leaving Kasanka bat-free until the following autumn.