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Eat Bats - Delta Sky Magazine

PostPosted: Oct 28, 2016 6:34 am
by BrianFrank
Saw this mentioned in another caving forum by Tag-Net member R. Finch.

An excerpt from the article:
"To catch them, you lie in wait, like hunting deer, shotgun in hand. At dusk, the bats stream out of their habitat and head right for their first meal of the night. After a few well-placed shots, it’s time to build a fire, squeezing wild ginger juice over the roasting animals and eating them by hand like good barbecue".

It's in the October print edition. Here is the online article, which I assume Delta will take down soon.
http://deltaskymag.delta.com/Sky-Extras/Food-and-Dining/Dare-To-Eat-Foods.aspx

Re: Eat Bats - Delta Sky Magazine

PostPosted: Nov 3, 2016 9:30 am
by GroundquestMSA
BrianFrank wrote:...which I assume Delta will take down soon


Why?

Large bats seem like they'd be decent food.

Re: Eat Bats - Delta Sky Magazine

PostPosted: Nov 3, 2016 1:48 pm
by tncaver
I can think of several reasons not to eat bats. Rabies, Nipah, Hendra, Ebola and Marburg are all viruses carried by bats that can cause serious disease in humans. Marburg virus and some strains of Ebola virus can kill up to 80-90% of humans infected.
Histoplasmosis is another one. Lyssavirus, Leptospirosis, and MERS (Middle East Respiratory syndrome) is a recent respiratory coronavirus first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012. It has now been found in countries across the Middle East including Jordan, Qatar, Egypt, UAE, Kuwait and Oman plus Bangladesh, the Philippines, Indonesia the UK and USA. (It appears all cases are linked to the Arabian Peninsula). Also SARS Coronavirus. Not to mention that most bats in America are not on the endangered or protected
species list.

Re: Eat Bats - Delta Sky Magazine

PostPosted: Nov 3, 2016 2:43 pm
by BrianFrank
I'm pretty sure Jonah was kidding. That would be suicide to be serious with that comment on this forum:-) .

Re: Eat Bats - Delta Sky Magazine

PostPosted: Nov 3, 2016 3:26 pm
by GroundquestMSA
BrianFrank wrote:I'm pretty sure Jonah was kidding. That would be suicide to be serious with that comment on this forum:-) .

Why would I be joking?

One of the negative aspects of recreational caving organizations is the breeding of sanctimonious ignorance. All the harping on “conservation” of the cave and its creatures leads cavers to the absurd conclusion that bats and salamanders are more important than non-cave animals.

Are bats sacred? Yes. In the same way that every creature is. Much of our food is pretty dishonorable these days, but to use animals, any of them, for food can be done with respect, with reverence and understanding and wholesomeness. There is absolutely no reason to be appalled by the eating of bats. If they are a viable food source in some areas, it is perfectly natural and right that they are eaten. In the US, I’d guess that bats are not a sensible choice. Elsewhere they obviously are.

If eating bats is known to be dangerous, then that’s an obvious practical concern. TNs long list of maladies notwithstanding, I do not know if that is the case.

Re: Eat Bats - Delta Sky Magazine

PostPosted: Nov 3, 2016 3:40 pm
by BrianFrank
:eat: :bat2: :eek:
Sorry Noah, I assumed incorrectly :doh:

Re: Eat Bats - Delta Sky Magazine

PostPosted: Nov 3, 2016 4:58 pm
by tncaver
BrianFrank wrote:I'm pretty sure Jonah was kidding. That would be suicide to be serious with that comment on this forum:-) .


I think you are naive Brian.

Re: Eat Bats - Delta Sky Magazine

PostPosted: Nov 8, 2016 6:58 pm
by ohiocaver
Before the Spanish came, the Incan people used bat hides to make cloaks for the Inca (their chief). The one cloak I got to feel was very soft - like a cross between silk and velvet. There is no good reason to assume humans couldn't use bats just as we use rabbits, guinea pigs or other small critters: both for food and as an article of clothing.
Jonah, do you have a cave we can hide in? My parting shot is to suggest that any deeply held belief which is not regularly tested is simply a prejudice.