Bat guano collectors in Thailand undeterred by possible link to coronavirus

Bat guano collectors fill bags outside of a bat cave at Wat Khao Chong Phran in Ratchaburi, Thailand March 14, 2020. REUTERS/Juarawee Kittisilpa

RATCHABURI, Thailand (Reuters) - Thai villagers scouring a dark cave for bat guano, sought after by farmers as a nutrient-rich crop fertiliser, are undaunted by scientists' suggestion that it could be behind a coronavirus that has infected more than 150,000 people worldwide.

The source of the virus remains a matter of debate after it emerged in China late last year, but some scientists believe it could have originated in bats before passing to humans, perhaps being transferred through another animal.