Mass deaths of cave bats raise health concerns
Local villagers living near a cave in Kanchanaburi's Si Sawat district have been warned to avoid local water sources after thousands of giant-faced bats have died there since Wednesday.
Local villagers living near a cave in Kanchanaburi's Si Sawat district have been warned to avoid local water sources after thousands of giant-faced bats have died there since Wednesday.
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Bat deaths spur water use warning
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Kanchanaburi: Authorities have warned local villagers living near a cave in Kanchanaburi's Si Sawat district where thousands of giant-faced bats have died since Wednesday to avoid consuming water from natural sources in the vicinity.
A team of veterinarians from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation and university veterinary science faculties inspected the scene Sunday to collect carcasses of the stricken bats for laboratory examinations to find the cause of the deaths.
The cave, which is located in a low-lying area of Erawan National Park, was flooded in recent heavy rains, which raised the water level and blocked the cave entrance.
The veterinarians initially suspected the water blockage caused the bats to die from suffocation after their air was limited and the floods prevented them from flying out of the cave, said Pattarapol Manmeeorn, the department's wildlife veterinarian.
The vets found traces of water on the cave walls, indicating the water level was unusually high.
Dr Pattarapol said locals near the park were advised to temporarily avoid using water from creeks and reservoirs in the vicinity until tests could prove the water is safe.
Public health volunteers were also asked to help monitor villagers' health for a week to check for any symptoms of sickness.
Dr Pattarapol said that apart from the bat carcasses collected for laboratory examinations, the vets also collected saliva samples from some living bats in the cave to check whether they had contracted a virus that leads to the Mers and Sars diseases.
Those results were expected to come out in the next two to six weeks.
The Mers and Sars viruses can be transmitted from animals to human beings.
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