Ebola Clue May Lurk in 10 Million Bats in Zambian Fig Trees
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At 4:50 a.m. at the Kasanka National Park in northern Zambia, tourists watch from a platform in a tree as the sound of millions of wings accompanies the sunrise.
About 10 million straw-colored fruit bats are returning from a night of feeding, some flying as far as 100 kilometers (62 miles) to feast on berries and figs. The animals may hold a clue to finding the cure for the Ebola disease that’s killed more than 8,000 people in west Africa in the biggest-ever outbreak, according to Aaron Mweene, professor at the University of Zambia’s veterinary medicine school. That outbreak, which is yet to be quelled, has been blamed on bats.