Indonesia: Bats Are Reportedly Back On The Menu & Wild Animals Continue To Be Sold For Meat

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Bats have been linked to the novel coronavirus but the Tohomon market in Indonesia still hasn't learned from what happened in Wuhan it seems. According to the New York Times, butchers gather at Indonesia's most notorious market slaughter bats, snakes, rats and lizards that were obtained from Sulawesi island.

Animal activists have been trying their best for years to get rid of the 'Tohomon Extreme Market'. There have been claims of pet dogs and cats being kidnapped and then slaughtered to be sold in the market.

Now, since the novel coronavirus pandemic has attacked over 200 countries across the globe, activists are urging the authorities to take action against the wildlife meat market.

AFP

Leader expert for Indonesia's Coronavirus task force, Wiku Adisasmito said, ¡°The market is like a cafeteria for animal pathogens. Consuming wild animals is the same as playing with fire.¡±

Ever since the virus was detected in a market in Wuhan, China, the country ordered all of its wildlife markets to shut shop and now Indonesia's Tohomon market has become the largest bazaar to sell wildlife meat.

The market is known for its cruel practices in the way the animals are slaughtered. While most wild animals are killed before they arrive at the market, dogs are kept alive in cages because apparently, there is a high demand for fresh dog meat.

Billy Gustafianto Lolowang is the manager at the Tasikoki Wildlife Rescue Centre and he believes that the country is waiting to become the epicentre of a Wuhan-like pandemic.

AFP

Consuming wild meat in Indonesia is an age-old tradition as locals believe that some animal meat has medicinal properties. Apparently, bats are consumed under the notion that they can cure ashtma and along with snake meat, they make up for the staple diet of the Indonesian people. In fact, snake and bat meat is often sold in supermarkets as well.

Indonesia is still struggling with the adequate testing they require for the coronavirus and the country has recorded a total of 15, 438 cases and 1,028 deaths. This makes up for the second-highest fatality rate in East Asia after China.

Animal rights groups such as Dog Meat Free are urging the country's president, Joko Widodo take action and demand the wildlife markets to shut down in order to prevent any more diseases. In a letter addressed to the president by the group, they wrote, 'If we do not act, the question is not whether another similar pandemic will emerge, but when.'

Indonesia Travelling

The country's Ministry of Environment and Forestry claimed that the decision to shut down these markets has to come from the local officials and that they have urged the local authorities to ban the markets.

However, local officials and residents have turned down their request and continue to sell wildlife meat as it is supposed to be an important part of their tradition and income. In fact, Indonesians judge the quality of a meal based on the meat-diversity it offers and people want to impress their guests with a variety of the same.

After the coronavirus fear struck the country, Tomohon city officials chopped the market's hours in half to control social contact.

The market eagerly promotes bushmeat trade and has pythons measuring up to 20 feet long, monitor lizards, whitetail rats, wild boars and rice-field frogs. Aside from this, another horrific fact about the market is that the butchers apparently kidnap pets and then club them to death and even burn their fur off with blowtorches.

Medical.Net

Even though activists are still in the hope that people will learn from the current situation that novel coronavirus has put us in but they know that there will be a public outcry if the market is shut down.