The meat markets in Indonesia still sell bats, cobras, dogs and cats. According to a pandemic researcher, it is only a matter of time before the next dangerous virus spreads.
On the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia, the tradition of selling bats continues as before. In nearby caves, bats are captured, which are then grilled and resold for three dollars, reports the Australian ABC News.
– The bats come from the caves in the jungle. We burn them, chop them and then boil them, explains a bat seller to ABC News.
After the pandemic, the WHO went out and called for street markets selling exotic animals to end. In particular, the process of keeping the animals caged in small spaces, slaughtering them, and then eating them in the same market is considered extra dangerous from an infection prevention point of view.
Prohibited dog and cat meat
After years of campaigning by animal rights groups, the local government has officially banned dog and cat meat, both for animal rights reasons but also to limit the spread of rabies.
– We will start with dog and cat meat and in the future we will pay a lot of attention to other animals as well, says deputy mayor Edwin Roring to ABC.
But for now, bats, rats and giant pythons remain for sale.
Bats are now widely known to carry viruses that are at risk of being transmitted to humans. When the pandemic broke out in Wuhan, China, the focus quickly landed on the city’s animal markets.