Thai doctor warns against eating bats after ‘bat hunter’ sells for 100 baht per kilo

A Thai doctor warns the public of the dangers of eating bat meat after a “bat hunter” in Sukhothai, northern Thailand, claimed that bat meat is good for your health. The man sells bats for 100 baht a kilogram.

The “bat hunter,” 33 year old Somchai Wongpanat, made headlines in Thai media yesterday after claiming that eating bat meat “restores your energy.” He says bat meat is delicious in Thai red curry.

Somchai is a contractor who hunts rats, bats, cobras, and bees’ nests in his spare time. He ties a net to a long bamboo stick to catch the bats, which he sells for 100 baht per kilogram.

The “bat hunter” captures thousands of bats a day, some of which he eats himself, and the rest he sells to locals. He says bat curry is a popular dish among his customers. He also recommends dipping bat meat in “nam jim,” a type of spicy dipping sauce.

Somchai says bat meat should always be cooked before consumption for “safety.” However, a Thai doctor says bat meat should not be consumed in any circumstance because of the dangers it poses to human health.

Dr Rangsarit Kanchanawanit, or “Mor Mong,” is a renowned doctor from the Department of Medicine at Chiang Mai University. The doctor says that bats carry over 10,000 viruses that could be transmitted to humans, which could easily cause another pandemic.

Mor Mong warns: humans must not consume bat meat and many other wild animal species.

The doctor says that three years ago, a pandemic caused by consuming bat meat stopped the world in its tracks, causing suffering and economic collapse worldwide. He asked…

“Have humans not learned anything?

“If we haven’t learned a lesson from the past three years, then humans are possibly the most stupid species.”

SOURCE: KhaoSod | MGR Online

• Win a 3-night beachfront stay at Four Points by Sheraton Phuket by taking a short Thaiger Survey HERE!