As the world marks International Bat Appreciation Day, conservation organisation Wild Africa is sounding the alarm on the urgent need to protect Nigeria’s rich but threatened bat population, which includes one-third of all bat species found in Africa.
Nigeria is home to approximately 100 bat species, many of which are now at risk of extinction. The 2025 IUCN Red List highlights several Nigerian bats as critically endangered, including the short-tailed roundleaf bat. These species face growing threats from deforestation, mining, logging, agricultural expansion, light pollution, and hunting for bushmeat.
“Today, we celebrate the silent guardians of the night–nature’s tiny heroes who keep our ecosystems in balance,” said Dr. Mark Ofua, Wild Africa’s West Africa spokesperson. “We must learn to coexist with them and give them the space they need to thrive–because when they thrive, we thrive too.”
Bats play an essential role in the environment. Insect-eating bats help control pests that threaten crops, while fruit bats are critical pollinators and seed dispersers for many wild and cultivated plants, including mangoes, bananas, guavas, and baobabs. Research from neighbouring Cameroon has shown that bats and birds on cocoa farms can save farmers as much as $478 per hectare annually by reducing pest damage in shaded farming systems.
However, fruit bats–particularly the straw-coloured fruit bat, Africa’s most hunted bat–are widely consumed in Nigeria, raising both ecological and public health concerns due to their potential as carriers of zoonotic diseases.
Wild Africa has reiterated its support for the Endangered Species Conservation and Protection Bill, currently before Nigeria’s House of Assembly. If passed, the bill is expected to significantly strengthen legal protections for bats and other wildlife, along with the forests and ecosystems they depend on.
The organisation is also running a nationwide awareness campaign using radio, television, billboards, newspapers, and public service announcements. Influential Nigerian figures such as music icon 2Baba, environmental advocate Nela Duke Ekpenyong, comedian Josh2Funny, and others are helping to amplify the message.
On this year’s International Bat Appreciation Day, Wild Africa is calling on government bodies, the private sector, conservation groups, and everyday Nigerians to take action to preserve the country’s bat populations and protect its broader biodiversity.
“The fate of our bats is tied to the fate of our forests, our food systems, and our future,” said Dr. Ofua. “We must act now–before it’s too late.”
