Hi. I'm a bat! You may have heard of me lately.

Racism, pure and simple. I blocked that asshole.

Hi bat! You can have my stuff.

I don't bother listening to people who say the virus started from someone eating a bat in China, because those people are usually the same ones that have been saying you should avoid getting Chinese takeout and frequenting places of business owned by Chinese people right now.

It's just racists using the pandemic as an excuse for their racism.

Bats were also the vector of HIV which started in Cameroon.

Bats also feel good when shoved up your ass.

Stick with the aluminum though, as you can get splinters from the wooden ones.

OP saw Contagion recently.

Actual Chinese scientists believe that the virus first infected a human in Hubei in November. Coronaviruses occur often in bats, Covid-19 samples in bats and humans are about 97% identical, it was the Chinese authorities that shut the wet market down. Yes, it's possible that bats passed the coronavirus onto another animal who then passed it onto humans. Whatever, we need to be a lot more careful.

I would starve before I ate a bat. They're like hamsters.

Batatouille

I have eaten bat and survived!

Does this sound reasonable?

Thank you, bat, for clarifying that. Yes, I agree that the virus originated from bats through another species, not from humans eating bats, and I wish you well in dealing with your own virus-related issues.

However, I still think that Chinese talk show host tearfully apologizing for eating a bat on air was funny as hell.

Hey Bat, our President has a bunch of your kin in his belfry. Is there hope?

Say, bat, do you have a name? Looking for work? I need an emotional support animal and you sound like you'd be a lot of fun! Have you had your shots yet?

Hi [R14]! Thank you for your kind offer. Although I am quite adorable, I would make a bad emotional support animal, as I am crepuscular in habit and when you wake up having a panic attack and need something fuzzy to cuddle I will be outside gobbling up various members of the nocturnal family of Lepidoptera and occasionally dispensing rabies to various canines.

Squeak, squeak.

[R13] Greetings! The last time there was a bat in a belfry that I was aware of, it did not go well for the Joker.

HTH.

Squeak, squeak.

Bats have always creeped me out. Rats with wings. Nasty, filthy creatures. No offense OP.

Are you related to Grandpa Munster?

[R17] None taken! I am one of six animals that may invoke am instinctual response of fear in humans - can you guess the other five?

Squeak, squeak.

Snake, clowns, trannies, Log Cabin Republicans, and shaped eyebrows?

"that Chinese talk show host tearfully apologizing for eating a bat on air was funny as hell."

rink prease

One of these is not like the others, R20. Only one is not trying to be something it isn't.

Dear Bat: I live near a large colony of your relatives here in the US. Have they been kind enough to gift us locals with some useful antibodies?

They say to tell you "squeak, squeak".

The Chinese eat bats and you have to harvest them WHEN THEY’RE ALIVE AND INFECTED!

It would help if you didn't designate every, living creature suitable for consumption.

Do you represent a holiday?

Sorry, I don't understand what you're saying, R24. We eat what's available.

R26 eats live bats.

Bat eating bitches started it all

2030 US quarters depicting a bat. Oh, the irony!

I love you, bat.

Viruses don't always die at high temperatures. Bacteria does but not viruses. It's why you can definitely get mad cow disease whether you order your steak medium or well done.

I'd like to hear from your friend, the pangolin.

I've always been fond of the animal kingdom, but, I don't care for reptiles or bats. Something that flies & has teeth? NO.

Hi bat, my dad said you gave him rabies.

Hi Bat, long time poster, first time questioner.

1) are you also a vampire

2) I do not mean to be rude, but why are you so gross, creepy and disgusting? 2a) Bats are foul but I appreciate your q & a.

I read that snakes, not bats, were the guilty party.

Bats are useful as they eat mosquitoes

[R18] No! But we used to drink together at a little bar in Mandalay back in the day. Amusing chap, lots of stories to tell - the one about Lily, the garden hose and a bowling ball was a howler. Roving hands, though.

Squeak, squeak.

r31, Mad Cow Disease is caused by a prion, not a virus.

I love to see bats at dusk because I know they're eating one of my mortal enemies, the mosquito, also a carrier for disease.

[R24] and European people eat cow's brains, which also turned out not to be a good idea.

Point is, while I would be very happy if people did not eat me, I am edible, and people therefore occasionally do.

This is something the Chinese have been doing for centuries, by the way. They don't do it because, OMG, darling, have you heard, it's the latest thing.

Like snails and calamari and jellyfish and rocky mountain oysters.

Squeak, squeak.

Batty, what is the difference in meaning between your double-e "squeek" and your orthographically correct squeak?

It's a bitch typing into my I-phone with my autopod [R41].

Squeek, squeek

Shitcubes, I did it again.

Ever like to walk on the wild side, bat?

Keep your four-fingered gloves to yourself, [R44].

Squeak, squeak.

🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇

Scientists confirmed that CV came from Bats, yet you all keep denying it????

[quote] Viruses don't always die at high temperatures. Bacteria does but not viruses. It's why you can definitely get mad cow disease whether you order your steak medium or well done

Mad Cow Disease isn't caused by bacteria, but instead by distorted proteins called prions, which bind onto other normal proteins and cause them to "deform" as well. They can survive in 400˚ temperatures.

Again, its been confirmed that it came from Bats, morons.

I never understood what the cows were so mad about.

It wasn't from people who ate infected bats. They ate an infected pangolin—who had eaten bats.

It also came from people eating bats, which is done frequently in China. Cooking them doesn't mean all will die. Take science classes.

In Wuhan, they sell both live and dead animals at the markets. It's likely the bat(s) infected chickens.

R50, you’d be mad too, if people were eating your brains.

I like bats. But I don't eat them. They's my favorites,

Also, have you all seen how some of the hunters kill the bats? By snapping their necks with their teeth....

Although the animals were brought together at the market, it still seems that cohabitation at a farm would allow a longer period for cross-contamination.

[R55] I...was much younger then...

Squeak, squeak.

Bat, no matter how hard you try to spin this, the whole world already knows that this tragedy was caused by the filthy, all-devouring, motherfucking Chinese.

OP.

exactly r59. They're so desperate to make this seem harmless and innocent.

r60 that isn't cute. Its creepy and shouldn't be in a house

[R60] How'd you find my OnlyFans?

Squeak, squeak.

Bats spread Ebola from Central Africa (where it was contained) to Liberia and West Africa

What are the other animals that cause an instinctual fear response in humans?

Bats carry many diseases and bacterias. There is no defending anyone eating them.

This is really funny if you understand Philipino.lol

Flying Fox! NSFW!

[R35], No I am not a vampire - they live in the Americas in a range from Mexico to Brazil.

Taste is subjective, but the reason I am disgusting is the reason I provoke a fear response, is because mankind first met me when he decided to move out of the trees and into cave. Well, I was living there with a number of other creatures who also were not particularly happy about the newcomers. One, the wolf, decided to make a go of it and allowed himself to be domesticated. Another, the cat, was more ambivalent, but gradually grew to develop a symbiotic relationship. Myself and our other chums - the spider, the rat and the snake - were less interested.

Bats are scary because we are dangerous to live with. Our guano is poisonous; we are havens of bacteria and viruses; we can swarm violently if startled; we can, and do bite; the vampire members of our family feed on blood; and basically we look like Smaug the Chiefest and Greatest of all Calamities somehow got it off with lab rat. Like snakes (venomous), spiders (ditto and potentially more so millions of years ago), rats (disease carriers and spoilers of food) we are four out of six animals that provoke what may be a genetic-level feeling of dread.

The other two, in case you were wondering, are the dog and the cat when encountered in their original format as the wolf and the panther. And if you don't think those animals are scary, you have never heard them hunting you at night.

Which is why bats, spiders, cats, wolves and snakes all turn up as Halloween animals. Rats, not so much, they're just too fucking gross.

However - I would remind you - we all lived in those caves first. No one invited your useless ass indoors.

Squeak, squeak.

Tall dark and handsome!

Harpie Owl says Hello Hoot Hoot!!!

R69 (aka Squeaky the Smart Bat) you’re simultaneously great, but I can’t shake the impetus to knock you into next week with a tennis racket.

Evolution. What are you gonna do?

Q: Are you also Batman?

Have you considered dating an older woman?

What did the bat get it from?? Fleas? Other insects?

Impulse not impetus!

Sorry, Sir Squeaky.

R72

I'm a pangolin. You've never heard of me. I'm the most poached species of animal in the world. And I may have played a bigger part in this pandemic than any bats or reptiles.

What the OP's not telling you: he caught the Corona virus after being ploughed in the ass by a mosquito.

The virus in the movie Contagion came from a small bit of bat poop falling into a trough where a pig ate it. The pig was served like any other piece of pork you'd eat in Asia or anywhere else in the world. That's how the virus is transmitted from bats.

That video @ r11 does a good job describing the conditions the animals are kept in at the markets, cages on on top of the other. That is not unique to China, you can bet your chicken was in a cage just like that at some point. Its just that the Chinese have exotic animals too close to each other.

[quote]The virus in the movie Contagion came from a small bit of bat poop falling into a trough where a pig ate it. The pig was served like any other piece of pork you'd eat in Asia or anywhere else in the world. That's how the virus is transmitted from bats.

That was not what happened at all. Did you even watch the movie? There was no bat poop. Goop never ate pork.

Actually, in Contagion, the infection came from the chef not cleaning his hands after examining the pig carcass before dressing it. He just wiped them on his apron and then shook hands with Goop's character. It also looked like he may have cut himself on the pig's tooth.

I think the implication is that the cooked meat would have been safe to eat - it was the uncooked flesh that was dangerous. Otherwise there would have immediately been a more widespread outbreak involving all those who tasted the dish when brought to table. Which would have been a fair number of people, unless Mr. Creosote happened to be dining alone.

Squeak, squeak.

Hi Bat, I think you've been quite delightful tonight. Do you feel like your portrayal in those Batman movies as dark and moody is some sort of racial slur?

[R82] Most of the time I am a happy little bat, flitting around, eating bugs and occasionally upending the global economy when least expected. But sometimes I just need to strap on a rubber suit, slide into a fucked-up Lincoln Continental, gun it to Gotham and get my freak on.

[R82]

Um - squeak, squeak.

I strongly believe that the virus is a bioweapon created by another country and spread it in China to destroy the country

You are mistaken, comrade! Vot horrid place vould ever do such a tink?

Get moose und squverell!

Und bat!

R85 china is the perfect place to start it with their past diseases... Is Putin that savvy to have pulled this off and kill older americans in big blue cities before an election?

Yes - why are there no cases reported in Russia except in one central Asian city? Or, why isn’t the news at least saying that Russia’s numbers are BS?

"I strongly believe that the virus is a bioweapon created by another country and spread it in China to destroy the country "

Well *I* strongly believe that the virus was created at the Amazon.com labs, and was intended to drive all the brick-and-mortar retailers in the world out of business!

So, everybody, whose theory makes more sense? Mine, or R85s?

I believe there is an article just posted as a link on a another thread which strongly states that the virus is organic in origin.

And that's all for tonight folks! I'll be out eating bugs until tomorrow evening. Hope to squeak with you then!

Flap, flap, flap out the window

[quote] Scientists confirmed that CV came from Bats, yet you all keep denying it????

Here’s another take on an article that suggests otherwise:

Am open to all possibilities of origin: we’re still in the early learning phases of Covid-19.

However, I have a personal experience which makes me look at many possibilities.

In the mid 80s, my med school advisor was an virologist/epidemiologist who primarily worked at the CDC. (We were at Emory University). The majority of his patients had HIV/AIDs and were surprisingly diverse (men/women and children; 25% from abroad given his experience and the tertiary-care setting). He was - and is - is a wonderful researcher and clinician.

We were originally taught that HIV originated from monkeys in Africa.

Years after graduating, and before I left for a remote position abroad, I visited him in his now position as Dean of a med school. During a meal when the wine was freely flowing, he suggested that there was more than just “rumour” to the fact that HIV had been “engineered”.

I won’t go into the details, but suffice it to say; the conversation opened into worlds of work in genetic “research” that has been occurring quietly for the last 50 years. I was shocked....given that I believed myself to have a professional “glimpse” into this field.

There is work occurring away from the public, medical professionals, and some governments.

It is on a “need-to-know” basis only.

Hi OP, are you one of these cute, puppy-like bats?

Hi bat! I love that you're a cinephile -- or, at least, that you know the movie "Contagion."

Q: Do you watch movies while hanging upside down, perched upright or reclined on a pillow?

Btw, I picture you like the top-hat-wearing animated bat in this Looney Tunes cartoon...

I don't trust you Bat you sound like a Chinese spy.

Fun fact: male bats exhibit the highest rate of homosexuality among mammals!

OP, is this you?

Pangolin smuggling is big in Myanmar. This is probably where the virus originated.

r65 Snakes, Spiders, mice, cockroaches.

R91, that article sounds like a stream of consciousness of bat crap.

The two anonymous tin hat authors haven't even done any research on the virus itself. They're just picking and choosing what has been written, interpreting it in whatever they want, and then adding some more of their own crap to create their ridiculous conspiracy.

But Batty r81, a bat did shit on the pig's feed, and the rest did happen.

I think the pig ate the bat’s crap. Then the rest happened. This is why I don’t believe in species mixing. I don’t mix wool and cotton, nor milk and meat. I’m very tedious.

You bats are kinda cute but you might want to stop with the rabies.

R88 Russia is basically a third world shithole, I doubt their reporting would be reliable. Also, I wouldn't trust Putin to tell the truth about anything.

One other reason why Russia has fewer cases is because no one wants to travel there because it is a shithole filled with people that hate outsiders.

Bat?

BAT????

Did you succumb to your own virus?

Alas.

Bat! Come back!

Tell us how your Chinese relatives really feel about being forced to share quarters with germ-spreading pigs and fowls, instead of having a nice cave of their own!

END OF DAYS

If there’s such a thing as a bat scat troll, I want to be it.

Are you a Christmas Bat?

Because if not, I don't have time for you right now.

Bat is a troll. No really. He lives under a bridge.

[R34] Nothing compared to what that knobhead gave me. I was picking those crabs out of my crotch for a year.

Squeak, squeak.

[R2] Thanks!

Just throw it in my cave.

Squeak, squeak.

I need protection.

[R23] Good question - and one that I cannot answer. However I would be inclined to think not in this case. We bats are members of the great dynasty of Chiroptera, and after rodents we are the second most diverse class of mammal life. There are over 1,200 classified species of us, so I am unsure how well information collected from the North American populations would aid in understanding viral and other related issues in bats in China. But, as I said, I am not a zoologist - the closest I got to a Yale degree was shitting in Harkness Tower - so would defer to their opinion.

Squeak, squeak.

You’ve been (partially) exonerated! Blame the pangolins.

If it turns out I cause the pandemic, then sorry not sorry. You fuckers are wiping out my species, if we take a few humans with us on our way out it'll serve you right.

So you can appoint me the Datalounge's official Yom Kippur Pangolin, and think of us when you're repenting your sins.

Bat! You're alive!

I feel relieved.

Carry on.

Pangolins are very fascinating creatures: they're surprisingly close to Carnivores (apologies to Mr Bat).

FYI it’s not the cooked bushmeat that’s infectious. People are exposed to crossover viruses when cleaning and preparing the bat carcass for cooking.

My friend keeps on insisting it's a bat/mongoose situation from some podcast he heard from a guy who studies bats, diseases, etc, who went to the batcaves in Wuhan (when I don't know). I told him that I haven't heard of it coming from a mongoose anywhere.

[R104] Bat populations can be problematic in American barns as well. The reason there is less US cross-cohabitation is that there are fewer farms overall in the regions I habitate and modern barns are screened at the eaves.

Also, in some places, caves can be used as small livestock pens. This was once common in some regions of Turkey, but I am not sure how widespread it still is.

My favorite tale in the US was of a grand Victorian mansion in the Hudson River Valley that turned out to have 200,000 of my cousins living in the attic. They took out two tons of guano. Evidently the current owners had no idea why the locals avoided the place until they happened to return to their new restoration project at dusk and saw a vast cloud of bats emerging from the tower, Scooby-Doo Opening Credits-style. They just about shat themselves. Not sure if that was added to the tonnage of the guano.

Squeak, squeak.

[r93] I watch films while hanging, as you say, upside-down. To me, there is no upside-down; my center of flight gravity and blood system balances everything out so up and down are simply relative terms.

For this reason, although I love films, "The Poseidon Adventure" made no fucking sense.

Squeak, squeak.

I grew up in a house that had a bricked-up fireplace on the first floor, with a trapdoor for the ash to fall into the basement. In the basement, there was a metal door that opened into the area with the ash-pile. We were always getting weird animals in the house, bats in particular.

50 years after I moved out of that house, I went back and the then-current owner told me he sealed the basement metal door to the bottom of the chimney, as he was getting bats. Then I realized that an unused chimney would be perfect for bats to hangout in, since it’s an artificial cave.

These are my bat neighbors. A colony of Mexican Free-Tailed Bats lives under a local section of elevated freeway that goes over a wetlands preserve, and on summer evenings you can see a mile-long stream of bats coming out for an evening of fun and mosquitos.

Which makes them, IMHO, exemplary neighbors.

Bat, you are a GEM.

gross bat @ R119.

You are extremely well read for a squeaky, blood-sucking accursed beast. For that I give you a gold squeak-squeak.

Hi bat! I’m not Chinese. How do you taste?

[R125] Well, I actually taste pretty go--I TASTE TERRIBLE.

FUCKING AWFUL.

LIKE SHIT

SHIT, I TELL YOU, SHIT!!

SQUEAK SQUEAK!

Methinks the lady squeaketh too much.

[R28] I do not believe that I, personally, have ever eaten a bitch.

Squeak, squeak.

Hi Bat! Have you ever met Socrates or Plato? They had this discussion of a Cave once, you might like it.

I did indeed, [R129]. Interesting gents, though not a patch on Grandpa Muster. I'll tell you this much, Socrates tended to win most things with Plato - the argument for universal values of morality, the concept of the elenchus method, Boggle - but his attempt to invent the corpse reviver was a failure. Should have stuck with perfect Manhattans.

Squeak, squeak.

Hi bat! Do you have a robin? How do you hang together? What else do you guys do?

Bat,

You are very erudite. Where did you receive your formal education?

[R132] Vassar, then Princeton.

Of course, it was just a migratory flight pattern assisted by the intricacies of Gothic architecture.

But one does tend to pick things up.

Let me tell you, in a fight between the Vassar College Croquet Club and the Princeton Tigers Rowing Team, my money is on the VCCC.

Those bitches are Heather Chandler-levels of mean.

Squeak, squeak.

Bat, what do you think of spelunkers, cavers, and other humans who waste their time in caves?

Vampires started this pestilence?

Are we related, OP?

Have you been in the legitimate theatre?

[R134] I have deep respect for archaeologists and other academics who explore caves - and I understand, overall, the human impulse to explore them - after all, after the forest, the cave is your original home.

And, as Dorothy Gale, from Kansas, once observed, we all want to go home.

Furthermore, caves can be extraordinarily beautiful places. Several of them in the US are National Monuments and repay a visit with some of the most spectacular natural features in the world, well on a par with the Grand Canyon or Niagara Falls.

But I am concerned by people who explore caves in different continents. Although this is not widely known, the US bat population - along with other cave-based ecosystems in the Americas - has been recently imperiled by an infection spread from spelunkers in Europe exploring American caves. Bat populations in the Northeast are collapsing and there is no indication that there is anyway to stop its spread.

Sometimes it seems that I kill you. But you are also killing me.

Squeak, squeak.

[R136] No.

But I like that on your tombstone, it reads "endowed".

Squeak, squeak.

Wink, wink.

[R73] I would date her to about 1930 or so, based on the hairstyle and shoes.

Squeak, squeak.

My cat brought a bat inside my house once. I knew something was up and went to explore. I found this tiny thing on the carpet making an electric/buzzing type sound I can’t quite explain. The sound seemed “alive”. I shooed Sammy Sue away and looked at the bat for a moment because I knew I’d probably never have the opportunity again. It was cute and fuzzy and textured and boney and helpless. I found two oven mitts and gently picked it up. It didn’t fight or bite. I put it outside off the ground and the next morning it was gone.

Pussy.

Hello Mr. Bat,

Here is a 5 Oz. US Mint quarter-dollar that has been issued in your honor. A regular quarter is shown for perspective. Silver prices are soaring, too. Is that your doing?

Note that the bat is depicted upside down.

In traditional Chinese culture, the bat was considered to be a symbol of good fortune, so you'll see bat symbols in traditional art and pottery.

How's that working out for you, China?

Why is a bat on a coin? No offense Mr. Bat.

Are we entirely sure it's a Mr. Bat and not a Ms. Bat?

(Apologies if I missed any obvious clues in your previous posts, Bat. You're still a gem, regardless of which way you swing.)

What the hell are you nattering on about, R1?

Bat mitzvah?

R146 true, we cannot be sure. Bat is from Vassar after all where it is all very confusing.

My personal pronoun is OH GOD GET THE TENNIS RACKET.

Evidently.

Squeak, squeak.

[quote] R145: Why is a bat on a coin? No offense Mr. Bat.

There is a coin series recognizing the National Parks. The Somoan National Park is apparently known for its bats. There was Puerto Rico and its El Yunque NP; Minuteman NP in Lexington, Massachusetts; etc. Can any Somoans here confirm about your lovely bats?

Are you a tranny bat?

No, [R152] I'm a canny bat.

BTW, whatever you do, do not Google image-search "tranny bat". There's already a bleach shortage as it is.

Squeak, squeak.

I tried to find drag queens in bat costumes, but instead I found this.

Mae West dressed as a bat.

No, really.

That's actually Howard Hughes' follow-up design to the Spruce Goose, the Amazing Flying Bazoomba.

Squeak, squeak.

This thread is so twee and precious it's nauseating.

The thread "Hi! I'm a fiddleback spider living in your shoe" is two doors down.

Squeak, squeak.

Another thread started by a desperate attention whore who thinks she's hilarious.

Go away, R158. We’re enjoying the bat.

What r159 said.

Careful, r159, or I'll call the District Battorney.

I continue to delight in the Bat.

So, Bat, what's on deck for the weekend?

R158 She/he is hilarious. Please go piss on yourself, not here.

[R161] Nothing, they haven't put the patio furniture out yet.

Squeak, squeak.

This is what passes for humor on DL now.

I'm not sure which is worse. This thread or the corona virus?

oops I meant r158 to be careful in my post at r160.

My batteries must be low.

But so cute. How could a twink bat like this be dangerous. Twinks don't bite do they? I thought they just sucked you dry or money.

The Bat tells dad jokes -- who knew? Thanks, Bat!

Hey, Bat, are you a rabies carrier?

It is in fact unlikely, [R169]. Despite common misconception, bats are not asymptomatic carriers of the disease. In reality, we contract rabies far less than other animals. Less than 1/2 of 1% of all bats may contract the disease. A variety of wild animals (rabies vector species) is more likely to catch rabies, including foxes, skunks, raccoons, coyotes and bats. Cats and dogs and even livestock can also contract and pass on rabies. There are between 0-2 deaths a year in the US attributed to bat rabies. 30,000 people die of it worldwide - but the vast majority of that number are people who have come in contact with or been bitten by a rabid dog. Due to vaccinations, rabid dog cases are very rare in the US.

Incidentally, you cannot catch rabies from me shitting or pissing on your head, so Amanda in Teaneck, when you're sitting by the swimming pool at night with your third highball in your hand and I fly by, chill the fuck out.

Hi Bat,

Do you ever fly internationally? If so, which are your favorite tourist spots?

Are you worried Covid 19 will cross with rabies and make everyone zombies?

Why do the Chinese eat such disease-infested vermin such as yourself?

[R172] Having watched the President's press conferences, I would say that God and Nature beat them to it.

Rabies is also called hydrophobia. I understand that “Ol’ Yeller” used the word hydrophobia and some people didn’t know that it’s the same as rabies.

Actually, hydrophobia id a symptom of rabies, not a synonym for it.

Hi bat. What do you think of Lucy in MAME? And what are you going to do about the damn pangolins trying to take credit for the current situation?

No?

Tasteful Friends, what say you about my bat cave?

The bat cave is beautiful. That poor, poor, bat above it should be alive and hanging out in the cave.

Hi bat! Everyone says they’ve been driven batty during these lockdowns. Is batty a pejorative term to you?

[R173] An interesting if loaded question. I'm not a sociologist (of course), but I tend to think the scale of population dictated the use of all and any available foodstuffs. Some of the odder things are indeed delicacies, but they simply reflect that an aristocratic class tends to become jaded and seek new sensations - and China, the oldest continuous and most populated civilization has a huge market for culinary art of a sort that reflects this.

I would point out that Europeans could match the Chinese in animal cruelty - witness the dish known as the ortolan or the great feasts of the Roman period, when thrush's hearts were featured and an Emperor had to outlaw the eating of dormice. Also the Chinese cruelty toward animals seems to happen in the kitchen - there is no Chinese historic equivalent to the animal massacres that were a daily spectacle at the Circus Maximus or the barbaric French carnivals where cats were burned alive for sport.

In China, there is a groundswell of support for animals through the younger more Westernized generations, who have become aware of dogs and cats as companions and have made moves away from more extreme dishes such as shark-fin soup. Whether this crisis marks a cultural and governmental turning point is anyone's guess, although I sincerely hope it does.

In other news #Doyouwantapieceofmeasshole is trending in the pangolin Twitter community.

Squeak, squeak

Squeaking of which, I have tried pangolin but not bat. Yet.

[quote]I would point out that Europeans could match the Chinese in animal cruelty - witness the dish known as the ortolan or the great feasts of the Roman period, when thrush's hearts were featured and an Emperor had to outlaw the eating of dormice. Also the Chinese cruelty toward animals seems to happen in the kitchen - there is no Chinese historic equivalent to the animal massacres that were a daily spectacle at the Circus Maximus or the barbaric French carnivals where cats were burned alive for sport.

Funny you have to reach back many centuries to compare what's happening in China in the 21st century. Last time I checked, European societies find animal torture to be horrific and it's against the law.

Are the Chinese torturing animals?

They are eating them - but I'm not sure they are torturing them. If they're torturing them then so are veal farmers worldwide.

And the ortolan was outlawed in France (wink wink!) only a few years ago.

Yes, they skin them alive, boil them alive etc. There are many videos of the wet markets on Youtube that have been shared in recent weeks, I won't link to any but I warn you if you're curious you should watch at your own peril. I wish I hadn't seen them.

The ortolan was only consumed by a very small minority of French, most of the population thought it was animal cruelty and it was banned. Ortolans weren't being sold in markets to millions of French throughout the country.

Mr. Bat, I think you have some spiders in your cave.

Guano troll alert!

The Chinese fondness for exotic meats and horrific ways to eat them doesn’t hold a candle to the industrialized horror and cruelty of the meat industry. Try reading Orville Schell’s “Meat” and you’ll never look at the meat on your plate the same way again.

Is your wife a crazy batalac?

I tried to watch some of the videos on YouTube about how the Chinese treat the animals. I couldn’t. FAIR WARNING: don’t watch. It is heart breaking. What is wrong with these people. Are all of them like this? It’s scary to think that so many of them are actually in USA. Do you think they do the same here?

In the 19th century there was a huge guano industry. The stuff was used as fertilizer in agriculture and also used as an ingredient in ammunition. Ships would set sail to obscure islands in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans where seabirds congregated, and the guano was shoveled by the ton into the holds of ships. I can't imagine the horrible stench being a seaman on a ship like that, but then again the whaling ships probably smelled even worse. I wonder how many little epidemics there were in the maritime industry from bird viruses.

Bat, what are your thoughts on this infected Belgian cat?

Belgian cat is an attention whore. She also has fibromyalgia and Lupus. 🙄

Belgian cat is an attention whore. She also has fibromyalgia and Lupus. 🙄

She looks pissed off.

Squeak, squeak.

Hi bat, what’s your dietary regime?

Tropical fruits, animal blood, fish and insects... sushi, Thai food?

Hello Mr. Bat. How often do you receive your rabies shots?

Every time someone with a gun thinks I'm rabid, [R199]

Missed me, motherfuckers.

Squeak, squeak.

Between bubonic plague, hantavirus and coronavirus the Chinese have a knack for inadvertently starting deadly outbreaks. Battie what do you think of China reopening the wet markets so soon after this one? Will you be back the next time a virulent disease is born from that festering orgy of humanity to tell us how the West is really the same and we can't judge the poor incompetent Chinese?

Bat, what do you think of tennis as a spectator sport?

Every time I've seen a tennis racket I have not been in a position to observe it as a spectator.

Squeak, squeak.

Got a bat visiting on a break from teaching at William & Mary.

You’ve asked his expertise about the deal the ancient sea maids made with humanity, warning that most precious thing that we’ll fight to save—fate of the waves with blue satin crashing...

Hi, bat. Pardon the pun but which team do you bat for? Are you one of us or are you one of them heteros?

Hello, bat. Is Batty Koda of Ferngully really a fruit bat, or is he a chaotic bisexual? I figure all you bats know each other.

Bats are filthy disease-infested vermin that shouldn't even be TOUCHED, never mind eaten. WTF is wrong with the Chinese for eating these disease bombs?

R15 why can’t you just say moths?

Fart! Fart!