Bat guano collectors in Thailand undeterred by possible link to COVID-19
RATCHABURI, Thailand: Thai villagers scouring a dark cave for bat guano, sought after by farmers as a nutrient-rich crop fertiliser, are undaunted by scientists’ suggestion that it could be behind a coronavirus that has infected more than 150,000 people worldwide.
The source of the coronavirus remains a matter of debate after it emerged in China late last year, but some scientists believe it could have originated in bats before passing to humans, perhaps being transferred through another animal.
But that link is not a concern for Jaew Yaemjam, a collector of bat droppings in Thailand’s western province of Ratchaburi, even though the southeast Asian nation has recorded 114 virus infections and one death.
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“No, I’m not worried because the virus didn’t originate from here,” said Jaew, 65, who is one of several villagers making the nightly trek into a smelly cave near a Buddhist temple, Wat Khao Chong Phran, to fill their sacks with the droppings.
A bat guano collector carries a bag as he gets out of a bat cave at Wat Khao Chong Phran in Ratchaburi, Thailand, Mar 14, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Juarawee Kittisilpa)
A bat guano collector is seen as he fills bags outside of a bat cave at Wat Khao Chong Phran in Ratchaburi, Thailand, Mar 14, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Juarawee Kittisilpa)
They start work after dark, when millions of chittering bats stream out of the cave to hunt for food. Some of those who have been collecting for decades, earning less than US$1 for each bucketload, say they have never had any health issues.
“Bat guano could be carrying various diseases,” said Pikul Temket, a provincial health official. “However, we’ve been clearing it out every week, so our cave is considered to be quite clean.”
READ: Thailand reports 32 new COVID-19 cases, brings total to 114
Guano collection began generations ago, when the abbot then in charge of the temple asked villagers to help clean the cave.
At US$6 a bucket, the guano, rich in chemicals such as nitrogen, phosphate and potassium, brings in the bulk of the temple’s earnings from farmers keen to boost crops and improve the taste of fruit.
Bat guano collectors fill bag outside of a bat cave at Wat Khao Chong Phran in Ratchaburi, Thailand, Mar 14, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Juarawee Kittisilpa)
Bat guano collectors take a break as they fill bags outside of a bat cave at Wat Khao Chong Phran in Ratchaburi, Thailand, Mar 14, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Juarawee Kittisilpa)
In the past, it also went into gunpowder and explosives.
“I’ve been collecting bat guano for 40 years already, and never got sick,” Jaew said. “I just use a piece of cloth to cover my face, nothing much, really.”
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