A Thai food vlogger has been arrested and apologised after she sparked anger by eating a bowl of bat soup.

The YouTuber named Phonchanok Srisunaklua posted the gut-turning video earlier this week on her channel, 'Gin Zap Bep Nua Nua' meaning 'Eat spicy and delicious' in the local language.

Footage shows the woman tearing bits of meat from the flying mammals, which were soaking in a brown murky soup with cherry tomatoes. She then held up a whole bat in front of the camera before munching on some of its bones with a loud crunch.

The food content creator has since deleted the video from her page after receiving criticism from her followers who were shocked that she would eat the dish.

Phonchanok was arrested on today, Thursday November 10, in Sakon Nakhon province and she apologised for the stomach-churning culinary stunt.

She said: 'I'm very sorry to everyone. I don't think what I did was reckless, but it might be a bad thing and I apologise to all the followers who are disappointed with me.

'I'm sorry for making you feel bad about what I've done. I don't know if you will forgive me for what I have done. I didn't think about it before. I'm really sorry. I'm very sorry. I'm sorry to society. I'm wrong.'

Police said that Phonchanok had confessed to eating a Lesser Asiatic yellow bat. They are a protected species.

Phonchanok told police she bought the creature from a market near the Thai border with Laos.

Veterinarian Pattaraphon Manee-on, head of the wildlife health management group at the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, said: 'I was shocked to see it in the clip now. Because the incident should not happen both in Thailand and around the world, it is very risky behavior, especially as bats have a lot of pathogens.

'There is no proof that the hot water temperature will actually kill the germs. Just touching the saliva, blood, and the skin is considered a risk.

'Besides the concern about the disease in bats, this woman could be guilty of breaking the Preservation and Protection and Wildlife Act, B.E. 2019, because bats are protected animals.'

Bats were previously blamed for the novel coronavirus, initially named 2019-nCov, after it was claimed that the virus originated from a wet market in Wuhan, China.

A number of videos then emerged of locals eating bats and other exotic animals.

It has never been proven that the virus originated from the wet market with another explanation being that Covid-19 was a man-made virus that leaked from a laboratory.

However, bats are still potential vectors of disease since they carry a host of viruses and pathogens that may be transmitted to humans, Rangsarit Kanchanawanit of Chiang Mai University's Department of Medicine said.