The 2015 report suggested that restoring forests of wild, fruiting trees to entice the bats away from people and horses would be the best way to prevent Hendra. “Bats are not the problem. They don’t cause disease emergence,” says Cunningham. “People do, by destroying and encroaching on their habitat and by catching, trafficking and butchering them. This can even infect other animals nearby that, if infected, might be able to carry and even multiply the bat virus, further increasing the risk.”
