Our first goal was to determine the location of roosting sites. We made collections in eight different locations around the Phnom Penh region. The first site we arranged for collection of bats was a restaurant. Bat soup has become a delicacy in Cambodia. You pick out a bat from a cage, much like one might choose a lobster from an aquarium, and it's cooked fresh for your consumption.
Some people eat bat as a medicinal remedy for ailments.
For example, we were told people drink the blood to help respiratory disorders and eat the eyes to cure eye problems. Another site of collection was the National Museum in Phnom Penh. The museum has exhibits of Khmer artifacts and history, but another main attraction is the hundreds of thousands of bats that live in the ceiling. Our entry point to the ceiling was a small 2ft. X 2ft. opening.