Multi-species foraging on a Marburg virus bat reservoir.

Abstract

Understanding zoonotic spillover requires observation of reservoir-host interfaces, yet direct multi-species behavioral data remain rare. During long-term carnivore monitoring in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda, we deployed camera traps at Python Cave, a roost for Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) and known Marburg-virus reservoir. Over the course of 368 trap nights, we recorded > 14 vertebrate species engaging in predation, scavenging, guano foraging, or exploration across 321 events, alongside 214 human visitors. The shallow cave structure collapses spatial separation between reservoir hosts, predators, and people. These observations provide visual evidence of a multi-trophic exposure network at a known filovirus reservoir.