David Neale, animal welfare director of the Hong Kong-based foundation, said the group has been alerted “to the culinary delicacy of fruit-bat soup eaten in Palau.”
Neale said the preparation of the dish involves restraining bats by pinning them by the wings to prevent escape, before immersing the animals into the boiling water to be cooked and served with coconut milk.
The foundation said it is wrong to use animals for food production “using methods of capture, production and transport or slaughter that compromise the welfare of the animals, or that deplete or threaten wild populations.”
He said Palau is threatening the very survival of fruit bats.
“The dish appears to have increased in popularity since it was mentioned on a U.S. reality TV show and we have received a number of reports from tourists visiting Palau suggesting that it is being offered in tourist’s restaurants. We are informing tourists visiting Palau of the cruelty involved with this dish and asking tourists not to eat fruit-bat soup,” Neale said.
