History is repeating itself and not in a good way. Taiwanese YouTuber, Phonchanok Srisunaklua, was arrested by police after she uploaded a video of her eating bats on camera. While it may have captured the audience’s attention, the video didn’t sit well with the law.
TMZ reports Srisunaklua uploaded the video back on Monday. In it, she was seen eating a bowl of soup filled with vegetables and multiple dead bats. The online creator ripped the wings of the cooked animal and described the meal as “delicious.” The video was uploaded, not only onto YouTube but also to her Facebook page, according to Yahoo! News.
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.
Thai wildlife vet, Dr. Patarapol Maneeorn, told TMZ that there are serious health concerns if someone eats a bat. He also expressed that even if the animal was cooked, it is uncertain if the hot water temperature would “actually kill the germs.”
Thailand’s Department of Disease Control commented on the incident as it warned the public 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. 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 made the video.
