Food
Blogger Films Herself Eating A Whole BAT In A Bowl Of Soup – Jailed For 5 Years
Bats are said to carry over 10,000 viruses that could be transmitted to humans and start another pandemic.
The YouTube channel Gin Zap Bep Nua Nua (Eat spicy and delicious) recently uploaded a one-minute 40-second clip that showed dead animals floating in a mud-colored soup & cherry tomatoes. Phonchanok Srisunaklua is the creator behind the channel and she was seen ripping the animals apart and dipping them in a spicy sauce called Nim Jam.
One of the animals in the soup is a whole BAT, which she described as delicious.
The food creator, at a point in the video, held up the whole bat to the camera and declared it has teeth before crunching on the bones and saying ‘the bones are soft.” Some experts have alleged that bats carry over 10,000 viruses that could be transmitted to humans and start another pandemic. Accordingly, Veterinarian Pattaraphone Manee-on has reportedly said “I was shocked to see it in the clip.”
The YouTuber, who is also a teacher, has now been arrested for possession of protected wildlife carcasses and crimes violating the Computer Crimes Act [2007].
In the comment of her video, viewers had been left outraged at the health implications of eating a whole bat, with one writing: “If you’re going to die, die alone. No one will blame you. But you’ll be damned if you start a pandemic.” Another said: “You put yourself at risk. If you get sick don’t bother burdening doctors and nurses.” Following her arrest and backlashes, Phonchanok has said she wouldn’t eat bats again and apologized to society, doctors, journalists, family, and friends.
Veterinarian Pattaraphone, head of the wildlife health management group at the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation revealed there’s no proof that hot water temperature can kill the germs in bats.
He added: “Because the incident should not happen both in Thailand and around the world, it is very risky behavior, especially as bats have a lot of pathogens. Just touching the saliva, blood and the skin is considered a risk.” Besides the concern about the disease, Pattaraphone said Phonchanok broke the Preservation and Protection and Wildlife Act, B.E. 2019 because bats are protected animals.
