Zoo rolls out 'world-first' vaccine to protect bats

A "world-first" vaccine to protect a colony of bats against a fatal infection has been rolled out at Jersey Zoo.

In 2025, 10 Livingstone fruit bats died after an outbreak of the bacteria pasteurella multocida.

Zoological director of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Matt Goetz, previously said was inherent in the bats' natural microbiome and did not come from outside the zoo.

The zoo said the vaccine was introduced in phases and four suitable bats were identified to take part in a trial based on age, weight and gender over a period of up to four weeks. "Excitingly, we have now moved on to the second phase of the vaccine roll out," it said.

The trial, described by the zoo as a "world first for this species", involved two injections over the one-month period.

"During the trial we undertook daily health and welfare assessments and were really pleased with the results," it said.

"We are hoping that this vaccine, which has been specially tailored to the strains of bacteria we identified as responsible for the outbreak, will provide the bats with additional immune protection.

"This will be incredibly important as we navigate the process of transporting them to their new homes in the coming months."

The zoo said it planned for the vaccine to be made available to other holders of the species across the wider zoo community.

Follow BBC Jersey on X and Facebook. Send your story ideas to [email protected].