Uganda is home to a rich diversity of bats, which carry high ecological and socioeconomic value through the ecosystem services that they provide. However, critical bat habitats, including caves, are facing increasing anthropogenic pressures, and the types and frequencies of disturbances to cave-roosting bats are not well understood in Uganda. Therefore, we examined the role of anthropogenic disturbances in caves to assess the threats posed to bat populations. We used the Bat Cave Vulnerability Index (BCVI) framework to score 14 caves inhabited by bats within the study region. We included qualitative surveys with human communities to better understand various aspects within the BCVI. All bat species recorded were of the IUCN category “Least Concern”. The BCVI indicated 50% of the caves (with insectivorous and frugivorous bats) require urgent conservation interventions due to high bat diversity and anthropogenic disturbances (e.g., guano collection). Most of the caves studied were highly vulnerable to anthropogenic disturbances, as assessed in the study. All the caves we studied (except two) are outside the protected area, and due to their imputed vulnerabilities, interventions ought to be implemented to balance cave conservation and human use in the Mt. Elgon area. Such interventions should integrate human factors.

To date, the reservoir host for visceral leishmaniasis, a neglected tropical disease caused by Leishmania donovani , is unknown, although studies pointing to dogs, domestic animals, and rodents are emerging. We aimed to investigate whether the dog ( Canis familiaris , Linnaeus, 1758) is a potential reservoir for L . donovan i in the Karamoja subregion of Uganda. Blood and lymph node aspirates were purposively collected from dogs ( n = 139) in disease endemic villages of Amudat and Moroto districts in August 2023. An indirect enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect anti‐ Leishmania IgG antibodies in serum. DNA extracted from lymph node aspirates was subjected to a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the rRNA internal transcribed spacer region of Leishmania species. The sera from 139 dogs did not demonstrate any evidence of circulating antibodies against Leishmania , as the optical density (OD) values were all below 0.25, lower than the threshold value of 0.45. Similarly, all the dog lymph node DNAs ( n = 139) were negative for Leishmania parasites. Although our results found no evidence to support dogs as reservoirs for L . donovani , in this study, further research utilizing larger sample sizes is recommended to confirm this finding. Furthermore, the presence of L . donovani in sand flies and other suspected reservoirs, such as domestic animals and wild rodents, requires further investigation.

Uganda is home to a rich diversity of bats, which carry high ecological and socioeconomic value through the ecosystem services that they provide. However, critical bat habitats including caves are facing increasing anthropogenic pressures, and the types and frequencies of disturbances to cave-roosting bats are not well understood in Uganda. Therefore, we examined the role of anthropogenic disturbances in caves to assess the threats posed to bat populations. We used the Bat Cave Vulnerability Index (BCVI) framework to evaluate the likely effects of anthropogenic disturbance on the cave bats inhabiting 14 caves within the study region. We included qualitative surveys with human communities to better understand various aspects within the BCVI. All bat species recorded are of the IUCN category - “Least Concern”. The BCVI ranked 50% of the caves as “High” and “Moderate” priority for conservation interventions due to high bat diversity and anthropogenic disturbance and determined that most caves studied were highly vulnerable to anthropogenic disturbance. All the caves we studied (except two) are outside the protected area, and due to their imputed vulnerabilities, interventions ought to be implemented to balance cave conservation and human use in the Mt Elgon area. Such interventions should integrate human dimensions.