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Bats are a food source for humans in some areas. Bats are consumed in various amounts in some regions within some African, Asian, and Pacific Rim countries and cultures, including China, Vietnam, Seychelles, Indonesia, Palau, and Guam. In Guam, Mariana fruit bats (Pteropus mariannus) are considered a delicacy.

History

Bats have likely been consumed as a food source since prehistoric times in the Asia-Pacific region. Chronostratigraphic analysis of archaelogical sites indicate that bats could have been exploited as a food source since 74,000 years ago by Homo floresiensis. On tropical islands, hunting large fruit bats were a worthwhile expenditure for prehistoric hominins. These megabats could be easily captured in caves in large numbers, and processing effort was also minimal.

Bats have been hunted by Aboriginal Australians for thousands of years, extending into modern times. Popular game species are the black flying fox and the little red flying fox. In 1997, it was estimated that the Aboriginal people of the Top End consumed 180,000 flying foxes each year.

While it has been suggested that the Taíno people of Puerto Rico consumed bat meat in pre-Columbian times, no bat bones have been documented in their midden heaps, making it unlikely that bat meat was a substantial dietary component. No other New World cultures are thought to have hunted bats for meat, though bat bones have been identified in midden heaps on the Caribbean island of Saba.

In the Torah and in the Bible, the book of Leviticus (11,13-19) forbids consumption of bat: "These you shall detest among the birds; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: (...) the bat."

In the Geographica of Strabo it is described the city of Borsippa (now Birs Nimrud in Iraq), where there was a large number of bats captured by the inhabitants, who "salad them to eat them". In the sixteenth century Italian naturalist Ulisse Aldrovandi refers in his treatise Ornitologia that bats have a white meat, edible, and excellent flavor.

Modern prevalence

At least 167 species of bats are hunted around the world, or about 13% of all bat species, for reasons including food, perceived medical value, for hide or teeth, or for sport. Some species are hunted for food more often than others: Half of all megabat species are hunted for food, in comparison to only eight percent of insectivorous species.

Africa

At least 55 species of bat are hunted in Africa, though larger bats are preferred targets and small, insectivorous species are considered less desirable. Bat hunting is most prevalent in West and Central Africa. It has been estimated that 100,000 bats are sold annually in Ghana. In South Africa and East Africa, there is little to no hunting. Larger species consumed in Africa include the straw-coloured fruit bat, Franquet's epauletted fruit bat, the Gambian epauletted fruit bat, the hammer-headed bat, and Egyptian fruit bat. Medium-sized bats like the Angolan rousette and Peters's dwarf epauletted fruit bat are also consumed, as well as small species like the large slit-faced bat, horseshoe bats, and roundleaf bats.

Asia

Humans hunt 64 species of bats in Asia, though the intensity of hunting varies by region. In Southeast Asia, bats are widely hunted in ten of the eleven countries, excluding only Singapore. About 17% of bat species are hunted in Southeast Asia, or 56 species. Indonesia and the Philippines have especially high levels of hunting, with a third of bat species in the Philippines subject to hunting despite legal protections such as the Philippine Wildlife Act and Philippine Cave Management Act, which are poorly enforced.

In South Asia, hunting bats for food occurs in Bangladesh by tribal groups, specifically targeting larger bat species. While bats are killed in India and Pakistan, consumption is rare, and perceived medicinal uses are more common motives. In East Asia, specifically southern China, bats are regularly eaten and can be found frequently in markets. International agencies pressured China to adopt legislation forbidding the hunting of bats and sale of bat meat following the early 2000s SARS outbreak where hundreds of people died, though no such legislation was passed. All wildlife trade in China, including bat meat, was banned in January 2020 in response to the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak.

Europe

The consumption of bat meat in Europe has been scarce, not only because of repugnance, but also because of the size of European bats, which being all insectivores are also small.

In the past it has been recorded the custom of the peasants of Costozza (in the province of Vicenza, Italy) to eat bats, especially horseshoe bats. After World War II the bats of Costozza's caves were almost extinct "for the ruthless hunting that the natives make of them, at the time of the grape, in order to assimilate them with the most tasty little birds." In 1959 it was reported that "in some places , for example in Liguria and Veneto regions, the bats are or were used as food." The current Italian law no. 157/1992 includes bats in the so-called "particularly protected" wildlife and punishes the killing, capture, or detention of specimens with two to eight months of jail time or a fine of 774 to 2065 euros.

Oceania

Bats are regularly hunted and consumed in Oceania, and are the only native land mammals of many isolated islands. About 23% of Oceania's bat species are hunted, or 40 species. Bat meat is considered a delicacy in the Cook Islands, Niue, Guam, the Mariana Islands, and Raratonga. It is popularly consumed in Fiji, New Caledonia, and Vanuatu.

South America

Though bat diversity in South America is especially high, bats are rarely consumed. Some indigenous peoples may consume bats, with the Nambiquara people known to consume three species of leaf-nosed bat. Live bats are sold in Bolivia for purported medicinal uses. Specifically, consuming the bats' blood is believed to treat epilepsy. A 2010 study documented that per month, 3,000 bats were sold in markets in four Bolivian cities. Species sold in these markets include Seba's short-tailed bats, mouse-eared bats, and common vampire bats.

Preparation and cooking

Paniki is a dish from Minahasan, North Sulawesi made from fruit bat. Soups, stews and curries using bat meat are prepared. In Palau, bat soup is considered a delicacy. Fruit bats are used in a Palauan soup that includes coconut milk, spices and ginger. Hot pot made with whole bat is available in some restaurants in southern China.

Bat stew is a stew prepared from various types of bats. Fruit bats are used in some versions of the dish. Estufa de morcego is a bat stew delicacy in the cuisine of São Tomé and Príncipe that is served on saints days and during fiestas.

The 1999 version of The Oxford Companion to Food states that the flavor of fruit bats is similar to that of chicken, and that they are "clean animals living exclusively on fruit". Bats are prepared in several manners, such as grilled, barbecued, deep fried, cooked in stews and in stir frys. When deep fried, the entire bat may be cooked and consumed.

During cooking, bats may emit strong odors reminiscent of urine and feces. This may be reduced by adding garlic, onion, chili pepper or beer during cooking.

• Bat preparation
• Bats for human consumption in Laos
• Preparation prior to cooking
• Another image of preparation
• Ready for cooking

Nutrition

Detailed information of the nutritional and chemical composition of bat meat is not available as of 2012. In many developing countries, bushmeat, including bat meat, is considered a major nutritional resource, including for micronutrients. One study in Madagascar predicted that the rate of childhood anemia would increase 29% if access to bushmeat, including bat meat, was restricted, predominantly affecting the poorest households who could not afford to purchase meat from domestic animals.

Issues

Overexploitation

Bats are most vulnerable to overhunting in Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and islands of Oceania and the Indian Ocean. Bats are susceptible to overhunting as they have naturally low rates of reproduction and many species are highly colonial, which makes it easier for them to be hunted in large numbers. Overhunting is believed to be the primary cause of extinction for the small Mauritian flying fox and the Guam flying fox.

Disease transmission

It has been speculated that megabats may be the natural reservoir of Ebolavirus, though the evidence has been called "far from decisive". Due to the possible association between Ebola infection and "hunting, butchering and processing meat from infected animals", several West African countries banned bushmeat (including megabats) or issued warnings about it during the 2013–2016 epidemic; many bans have since been lifted. Widspread consumption of bat meat has been hypothesized as a possible origin of 2019-nCov, which was first detected in December 2019.

Toxins

Eating fruit bats is also linked to a neurological disease called lytico-bodig disease. Paul Alan Cox from the Hawaiian National Tropical Botanical Garden in Kalaheo, and Oliver Sacks from Albert Einstein College in New York, found the bats consumed large quantities of cycad seeds and appear to accumulate the toxins to dangerous levels in their meat.

See also

• Human uses of bats

References

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2. ^ Extreme Cuisine: The Weird & Wonderful Foods that People Eat – Jerry Hopkins. pp. 51-53.
3. The Genie in the Bottle: 67 All-New Commentaries on the Fascinating ... - Joe Schwarcz. p. 95.
4. Texas Monthly. p. 116.
5. Bats of the United States and Canada. pp. 79-80.
6. Hawkins, Stuart; O'Connor, SUE; Kealy, Shimona (2016). "Late Quaternary hominin-bat (Chiroptera) interactions in the Asia-Pacific". Archaeology in Oceania. 51: 7–17. doi:10.1002/arco.5084.
7. Tidemann, Christopher R.; Vardon, Michael (1997). "Pests, pestilence, pollen and pot roasts: the need for community based management of flying foxes in Australia". Australian Biologist. 10 (1).
8. Gannon, Michael R.; Kurta, Allen; Rodriguez-Duran, Armando (2005). Bats of Puerto Rico: An Island Focus and a Caribbean Perspective. Texas Tech University Press. p. 44. ISBN 9780896725515.
9. Cooke, Siobhán B.; Dávalos, Liliana M.; Mychajliw, Alexis M.; Turvey, Samuel T.; Upham, Nathan S. (2017). "Anthropogenic Extinction Dominates Holocene Declines of West Indian Mammals". Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics. 48: 306. doi:10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-110316-022754.
10. ^ Marco Riccucci (2014). "Pipistrelli come cibo: Aspetti etnografici e sanitari". Alimenti & Bevande. XVI (6): 39–43.
11. Ebewore, S. O.; Ovharhe, O. J.; Emaziye, P. O. (2015). "Acceptability of Bush Meat as a Source of Animal Protein in Delta State, Nigeria: Implication for Extension Services". Journal of Northeast Agricultural University (English Edition). 22 (3): 67–78. doi:10.1016/S1006-8104(16)30009-5.
12. Denyer, Simon; Lyric, Li (26 January 2020). "China bans wild animal trade until coronavirus epidemic is eliminated". The Washington Post. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
13. Giovanni Arduino. Nuova Raccolta d'opuscoli scientifici e filosofici del Calogerà. Vol. VI. Venice. pp. 133–180.
14. Alessandro P. Ninni, 1878
15. Giuseppe Perin, Scienza e poesia sui Berici, a cura di G. Da Schio, G. Trevisol e G. Perin, Vicenza, Tip. Commerciale, 1947
16. A. Toschi; B. Lanza (1959). Mammalia: Generalità, Insectivora, Chiroptera. Bologna. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
17. Fine Maron, Dina (7 December 2018). "Bats are being killed so people can suck their blood". National Geographic. National Geographic Partners, LLC. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
18. Lizarro, D.; Galarza, M. I.; Aguirre, L. F. "Tráfico y comercio de murciélagos en Bolivia Traffic and trade of Bolivian bats". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
19. ^ Mickleburgh, Simon; Waylen, Kerry; Racey, Paul (2009). "Bats as bushmeat: A global review". Oryx. 43 (2): 217. doi:10.1017/S0030605308000938.
20. ^ Listverse. Com's Ultimate Book of Bizarre Lists – Jamie Frater. p. 207.
21. Yoo, Patrick C. Y. (2019). "Viruses and Bats". Viruses. 11 (10): 884. doi:10.3390/v11100884. PMC 6832948. PMID 31546572.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)
22. ^ Downes, Stephen (1 January 2006). To Die For. Allen & Unwin. ISBN 9781742660820 – via Google Books.
23. Sao Tome and Principe – Kathleen Becker. pp. 74-79.
24. Hoffman, L.C.; Cawthorn, D.-M. (2012). "What is the role and contribution of meat from wildlife in providing high quality protein for consumption?". Animal Frontiers. 2 (4): 50. doi:10.2527/af.2012-0061.
25. Golden, C.D. (2011). The Importance of Wildlife Harvest to Human Health and Livelihoods in Northeastern Madagascar (PhD). UC Berkeley. pp. 26–28.
26. Yang, Sarah (21 November 2011). "Taking bushmeat off the menu could increase child anemia". Berkeley News. UC Berkeley. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
27. Pierson, E. D.; Rainey, W. E. (1992). "The biology of flying foxes of the genus Pteropus: a review". Biological Report. 90 (23).
28. "Ebola virus disease". World Health Organization. May 30, 2019.
29. Leendertz, Siv Aina J.; Gogarten, Jan F.; Düx, Ariane; Calvignac-Spencer, Sebastien; Leendertz, Fabian H. (2016). "Assessing the Evidence Supporting Fruit Bats as the Primary Reservoirs for Ebola Viruses". Ecohealth. 13 (1): 18–25. doi:10.1007/s10393-015-1053-0. PMID 26268210.
30. Zon, H.; Petesch, C. (21 September 2016). "Post-Ebola, West Africans flock back to bushmeat, with risk". Associated Press. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
31. Hunt, Katie (30 January 2020). "Bats, the source of so many viruses, could be the origin of Wuhan coronavirus, say experts". CNN. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
32. "Bat-Eating Linked to Neurological Illness", National Geographic, June 13, 2003

External links

• Media related to Bats as food at Wikimedia Commons

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