LOS BAOS,Philippines — Researchers wearing headlamps and protective suits race to untangle the claws and wings of bats caught up in a big net after dark in thePhilippineprovince of Laguna.
The tiny animals are carefully placed in cloth bags to be taken away, measured, and swabbed, with details logged and saliva and fecal matter collected for analysis before they are returned to the wild.
The researchers call themselves the “virushunters,” tasked with catching thousands of bats to develop a simulation model they hope will help the world avoid a pandemic similar to COVID-19, which has killed more than 3 million people as of April 21.
The Japanese-funded model will be develop…
Keep on reading: Filipino ‘virus hunters’ hope to stop next pandemic by catching bats