A YouTuber in Thailand has been arrested by the police for posting a video of him eating a bat.
According to the British Telegraph and others on the 10th (local time), Thai police arrested YouTuber Ponchanok Sisunakula on charges of violating the Wildlife Protection Act the day before.
Ponchanok is accused of rescuing a protected Asian yellow bat through illegal means, filming a video of it being eaten and made into food, and posting it on his YouTube channel.
In July, a 1 minute 40 second video of him eating bat soup was uploaded on Ponchanok’s YouTube channel ‘Eat something spicy and delicious’.
The video captures Ponchanok alive eating a cooked bat. He caught the bat with his bare hands and chewed it to the bone. He then compared the texture to raw meat, saying, “It’s delicious.”
Experts warned of the dangers of eating bats.
Eddie Holmes, a professor at the Sydney Institute of Infectious Diseases, warned via the Telegraph that “bats carry a very large number of viruses” and that “humans should always keep their distance from wild animals to prepare for any infectious disease.”
As the controversy escalated, Ponchanok apologized, saying, “I was out of my mind. I’ll never make a video like that again,” and “I did something I shouldn’t have done. It’s bad fine by me.”
Locals predict that Ponchanok will face up to five years in prison or a fine of 500,000 baht (about 18.6 million won) under the Wildlife Protection Act.
Reporter Noh Jeong-dong, Hankyung.com dong2@hankyung.com
