OFF THE BAT

China Lets Tourists, but Not Investigators, Into Bat-Infested Caves Where Pandemic Might Have Begun

The Washington Post sent a reporter to the Enshi caves, around six hours away from Wuhan.

China is reportedly allowing domestic tourists and spelunkers into a vast cave complex that could be crucial to understanding the origins of the coronavirus pandemic—but World Health Organization investigators are still being blocked from coming to take a look. The Washington Post sent a reporter to the bat-infested Enshi caves, which are around a six-hour drive west of Wuhan, where the first COVID-19 cases were identified. According to the Post, the reporter spotted several tourists entering the caves, as well as “villagers replacing a drinking water pump” inside. The journalist also noted “defunct wildlife farms” within a mile of the cave entrance—a fact that concerns some experts. Michael Worobey, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Arizona, told the newspaper: “We really need to find out more about what viruses are circulating in those bats... That kind of proximity of farmed animals and bats that could be carrying coronaviruses is exactly the kind of thing we worry about.” To date, China has refused the WHO access to wildlife farming areas such as Enshi.