A woman in Thailand is facing up to five years in jail after posting a video of her eating a bat on Youtube.
Phonchanok Srisunaklua uploaded the one-minute and 40-second clip to her Gin Zap Bep Nua Nua Youtube channel, where pieces of the dead animal are seen floating around in a dark-colored soup.
In the video, Srisunaklua is heard saying the bats are delicious and later rips them apart and dips them in a sauce. And while it may have captured the audience’s attention, the video didn’t sit well with the law.
The Thai police arrested Srisunaklua for “possession of protected wildlife carcasses.” She was also charged with violating the Computer-Related Crimes Act of 2007 and could face five years in prison if convicted. She may also have to pay a hefty fine of 500,000 baht (over $13,000 USD). Srisunaklua denied both charges.
Since the incident, Thailand’s Department of Disease Control relaesed a public warning to not eat bats due to disease transmissions and feces that could cause respiratory infections.
When the video was released, viewers were disgusted at Srisunaklua’s actions since eating bats was rumored to be the cause of the COVID-19 virus. According to some experts, bats are said to carry over 10,000 viruses that could be transmitted to humans and start another pandemic. There were comments left on the video saying that she is going to “die alone” and that they’ll blame her if she causes “another pandemic.”
The video was removed, and the creator issued an apology. She said that she had “no ill intentions” and that she wasn’t “thinking enough” when she made the video.
Srisunaklua, who is also a teacher, added that she would never eat bats again.
