ifetimeof atsand science - bat conservation … · many years ago, recalls biologist richard laval...

Merlin Tuttle’s fascination with bats – and with science – really tookhold in 1959, when, as a teenager, he discovered a colony of gray myotisin Baloney Cave, a few miles from his Tennessee home.

Scientific texts back then re p o rted that gray myotis (Myotis gris-e s c e n s) remained in the same favo red caves ye a r - ro u n d .Merlin, as he would often do in later ye a r s ,questioned the conventional wisdom.He studied the bats, explored the caveand even attached bat bands from theU.S. Fish and Wildlife Se rvice to hun-d reds of them. That winter, he foundd o zens of his banded bats in another cave100 miles (160 kilometers) north. W h i l estill in high school, Merlin proved for thefirst time that gray myotis migrate betwe e nsummer roosts and winter hibernation sites,some traveling north rather than south, ase x p e c t e d .

That led to a lifetime of dedication to con-serving these wondrous and invaluable flyingmammals. And it led to BCI.

“Merlin Tuttle has probably directly con-tributed more than anyone else to the conserva-tion of bats,” says Brock Fenton, Biology Chair atthe University of Western Ontario. “Quite simply,he turned his fascination with them and his love ofthem into a lifelong campaign to effect their con-servation at home and abroad. His name is, appro-

Merlin (top) beams at Zuri, a straw-colored flying fox thatcharmed audiences around America.And in1963, Merlin(above) rests for a few precarious moments in PearsonCave,Tennessee.

Volume 27, No. 2B AT S S U M M E R 2 0 0 92

A LIFETIME OF BATS AND SCIENCE

by Robert Locke

A LIFETIME OF BATS AND SCIENCE

Bats_Summer_2009rljh3apvj.qxd 8/3/09 3:20 PM Page 2

priately, synonymous with bats.”Merlin’s gray myotis research continued for two decades and included his

Ph.D. dissertation in population ecology at the University of Kansas. And alongthe way, he made another discovery that charted the course of his life: gray myotiscolonies were being devastated by humans at a frightful rate.

“You're too late,” old-timers often said when Merlin sought information onlocal bat caves. “When I was a child, clouds of bats filled the sky. You should havebeen here back then. They're all gone now.”

The culprit, he found, was ignorance. Hardly anyone had any inkling of themany ecological and economic benefits of bats. And most people, their attitudesshaped by myths, misinformation and baseless fears, despised bats as dangerousand sinister pests.

Not only were countless bats of many species being lost to disappearing habi-tat, pesticide poisoning and similar dangers, but some cave owners and visitorsintentionally killed incredible numbers of bats, sometimes even igniting confla-grations that burned or suffocated all the bats inside. The story was much thesame almost everywhere Merlin went in North America and around the world.Bats were feared, reviled and casually destroyed.

Merlin Tuttle devoted his long and pro d u c t i ve career not only to learning aboutbats, but to sharing the facts about these essential cre a t u res around the world.

“At a time when most bat species were considered to be ugly and vile, Merlinsingularly shaped public perceptions about bats,” says Thomas H. Kunz of theCenter for Ecology and Conservation Biology at Boston University. “Over theyears, he has passionately influenced a host of students and colleagues around theworld on the ecological values of bats.”

“Merlin is a pioneer,” says John Mitchell, chairman of BCI’s Board of Trustees.“When he started, most of the world was unaware of how important and howthreatened bats are. He made the rest of us aware of their great value, and that hada multiplier effect as other conservation organizations signed on.”

“Quite frankly,” Merlin wrote 17 years ago, “the founding of BCI came as anact of desperation. It was obvious that without major improvement in public atti-tudes, the situation for bats would continue to worsen.” Merlin and a few otherscientists studying bats raised the alarm. They were largely ignored as even estab-

Volume 27 , No. 2 S U M M E R 2 0 0 9 B AT S3

Merlin examines a captured horseshoe bat (left) during a conservation visit to Zimbabwe in 1982. InArizona (right), he studies a bat captured in a harp trap at the Paradise Mine in 1992.

Merlin Tuttle has played a pivotal and historicrole in the conservation of b a t s. He has crafted ap rogram that blends cutting - e dge science, o u t-s t a n d i ng outre a ch , a m a z i ng photogr a p hy and pro-fessional advo c a cy to engage, i n s p i re and motivate aglobal audience. For the past three decades, M e r l i nhas been at the fo re f ront of eve ry important con-s e rvation issue facing bats. The world is a betterplace because of his wo r k .

John P. Hayes, Chair, Department of WildlifeEcology and Conservation, University of Florida

Bats have had no greater ally than Merlin Tuttle.Th rough his science, s u p e rnatural charisma andp a s s i o n , he has reve rsed the public opinion of b a t sa round the world. I have known Merlin the major-ity of my life and have been lucky enough to trave lon many of his adve n t u re s. He has been a gre a tfriend and mentor, and I look fo r wa rd to our con-tinued relationship through BCI.

Bert GrantgesBCI Board of Trustees

I have long respected Merlin for his practicala p p ro a ch to wildlife conservation. Merlin’s ap-p ro a ch and style has always been one of e d u c a t i o nand not admonishment, o f the care ful choice ofwo rds and, most import a n t ly, o f l e a d i ng by a posi-t ive ex a m p l e.

Mark J. Bloschock,Vertex Engineering Inc.

TRIBUTES



lished environmental groups showed little enthusiasm for championing suchunpopular animals. Bats just couldn’t compete with baby seals and pandas.

Many years ago, recalls biologist Richard LaVal of Costa Rica, Merlin told himand other bat biologists of “his plan to create an organization for the conservationof bats. The rest of us felt that it was going to be very difficult to get people todonate money to save bats because they had a very bad public image at the time.Nevertheless, we encouraged him. I, for one, knew that if anyone could do it,Merlin could, because he was a natural-born salesman. The rest is history!”

Merlin founded BCI on March 12, 1982, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, while hewas Curator of Mammals at the Milwaukee Public Museum. The struggling orga-nization with virtually no money was a nights-and-weekends enterprise. VerneRead, one of BCI's earliest friends in Milwaukee, was a founding board memberand crucial supporter. He now serves as Chairman Emeritus, while his son,Thomas Read, is an active member of the board.

The philosophical foundation of BCI was rooted in Merlin’s work with graymyotis. A Tennessee farmer, in agreeing to let Merlin study the bats in his cave,added: “While you’re in there, kill as many of them as you can.” Merlin let thecomment slide, but upon entering the cave, he found the floor littered with thediscarded wings of potato beetles, an especially destructive crop pest. “When Ireturned with a handful of the colorful wings, the farmer understood immediate-ly that the bats were eating his most-feared pests. The next time I visited, thatfarmer was actively protecting his bats.”

When people understand bats’ enormous benefits, Merlin realized, their dis-dain can be transformed into appreciation and bat conservation can become a

An enchanting teacher, Merlin delightsstudents at a school in the Philippineswith tales of bats and their values andbehavior.

People who excel at what they do are often re a l-ly good at one thing. Merlin’s one of those peoplewith a variety of talents that he’s re a l ly good at. Myf i rst impression was that this guy’s a re a l ly go o dp h o t ogr a p h e r. Then I realized he’s a re a l ly go o dsalesman and could talk you into doing just abouta ny t h i ng. Merlin has a self-sacrificing drive deep inhis heart and a sincere dedication that he musts h a re. Add communication, c o n flict resolution andl e a d e rship skills and you have a ro ck-solid leader.And he’s a darned good biolog i s t , too.

Cal Butchkoski,Wildlife Biologist,Pennsylvania Game Commission

P ro b a b ly no other biologist has done so much toi n fluence others to study, and ultimately pro t e c t , agroup of o r ganisms as Merlin Tuttle has done fo rb a t s. I am proud to count my s e l f as one of t h o s ewho was influenced by Merlin to join BCI’s “army ”o f s c i e n t i s t s, s t u d e n t s, l aypeople and politicianswho together fight for the protection of bats and allthe other organisms that depend upon them.

Scott A. Mori, Nathaniel Lord Britton Curatorof Botany,The New York Botanical Garden


reality. Public education became the centerpiece of BCI.The organization’s earliest efforts were mostly educational, including the

audiovisual program, Saving America’s Bats and a Bats and Their Conservationbrochure, both funded by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, as well as a bat-edu-cation booklet, The Most Famous Bat in the World, published by BCI supporterBacardi Imports. Merlin was also featured prominently in several national publi-cations and television programs.

BCI, still short on financing but with a growing list of conservation and edu-cation activities, moved to Austin, Texas, in 1986. At the time, Merlin notes,Austin “was generating more negative publicity about bats than any other city inAmerica.” Hundreds of thousands of Mexican free-tailed bats had moved intocrevices beneath the remodeled Congress Avenue Bridge downtown, much of thepopulace was in a panic, and news media around the country were taking an inter-est. “Mass fear in the air as bats invade Austin,” screamed a local newspaper head-


Merlin went to great lengths for unique bat photos. InBelize, he took to the water in 1992 to photograph agroup of tufted bats roosting in a tree trunk.

BCI and Merlin Tuttle have been unstinting intheir support for bat conservation in southernAfrica. Merlin’s visit in 2000 was a memorablemilestone in bat conservation in [South Africa] andp rovided huge impetus and positive media atten-tion to fl e dgl i ng South African bat gro u p s. Wed e e p ly appreciate the kind and ge n e rous adv i c e,inspirational talks and the wo n d e r ful portrait pho-t ographs of our bats [that he] fre e ly prov i d e d .

Peter Taylor, Bat Interest Group of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa

I can’t believe what I’m re a d i ng, Merlin! I hopeyou don’t go too far away. You are the soul of B C I .

Ramona Seeligson Bass, Fort Worth,Texas

End of an era. You must be tre m e n d o u s ly pro u do f your ach i evements at BCI and the advances yo uh ave made in bat conservation intern a t i o n a l ly. Yo u rl e a d e rship in areas such as turbine issues, Wh i t e -nose Syndrome and cave protection has been exe m-p l a ry. The BCI Sch o l a rship scheme has helped fo s-ter the re s e a rch care e rs of m a ny yo u ng scientists. Ithas always been a pleasure to work with yo u .

Gareth Jones, School Biological Sciences,University of Bristol, United Kingdom

When Merlin first moved to Austin, he stayed inour guest room for five or six months. Of c o u rs e,we got re a l ly hooked on bats during that time – yo uk n ow what a salesman he is. We gave a dinnerp a rty for him that ye a r. Some of the earliest [BCI]b o a rd members came out of that part y. Merlin hadthat effect on people. He’s a magician. I’m justastounded at how much has happened since then.

Peggy Phillips, BCI Trustee 1986-2005The 1.5 million bats under the Congress Ave nue Bridge in dow n t own A u s t i n ,Te x a s ,we re one reason Merlin moved BCI from Wisconsin to Te x a s .When he arr i ved in1 9 8 6 , m a ny residents wanted the bats exterminated. N ow they ’re a major touristattraction in the “Bat Capital of A m e r i c a .”

©MERLIN D. TUTTLE, BCI / 7292409




Merlin and biologist Paul Cox photograph bats in America Samoa in 1986. BCI members were instrumental in win-ning approval of a national park in Samoa to protect flying foxes. (Inset) Merlin gets a close-up photo of a Gambianepauletted bat.

line, as many residents demanded the bats’ extermination.But after a tireless education campaign that saw Merlin meeting with city offi-

cials, news media, neighborhood groups and schoolchildren, the fears gradually sub-sided. To d a y, the summer emergences of 1.5 million “Bridge Ba t s” draw many thou-sands of visitors each year and generate an estimated $11 million in local re ve n u e .Austin proudly calls itself the Bat Capital of America. Knowledge is a powe rful forc e .

Public understanding of bats makes so much else possible, and Merlin hasalways been ready to teach. Fiona Reid, a biologist, author and artist, has accom-panied Merlin as co-leader of Founder’s Circle ecotours in Zambia, Madagascar,the Amazon, Australia and New Zealand, and Uganda. Although surrounded bysome of BCI’s leading supporters, Merlin “never passes up an opportunity to talkto villagers, to show bats to children that gather around him, and to take time outof an already hectic schedule to spread the word that bats are a precious and valu-able resource,” she said. “Merlin has done more for bat conservation than anyother living being, and I am proud to have been able to assist him on some of hisinternational voyages.”

Even before launching BCI, Merlin became distressed at the quality of the batphotographs that illustrated his articles. “I was appalled that nearly all showedsnarling bats, a posture bats display only in self-defense. More than any othermedium, photography showing the true nature of bats helps people begin toappreciate and understand them. So I decided to learn to photograph bats.”

In fact, he became a world-class wildlife photographer and his images have beenc rucial to BCI’s education efforts. The impact is not lost on his scientific colleagues.

M a ny scientists around the world are invo l ved invarious aspects of bat re s e a rch , but no one on theplanet has done more for bat conservation thanMerlin Tuttle through BCI.

David A. Saugey,Wildlife Biologist,Ouachita National Forest, Arkansas

Those of us who work with bats continuouslyface the ch a l l e nges of c o nvey i ng their import a n c eto skeptical audiences. It is hard to imagine howm u ch more difficult those ch a l l e nges would be hadMerlin and Bat Conservation International notfo r ged the path of education and conserva t i o naction on wh i ch we now tre a d .

Paul Cryan, Research Biologist,USGS Fort Collins Science Center, Colorado

The effect of Merlin´s infectious enthusiasm forbats has been momentous for the huge and timelychange in the image of bats among the generalpublic of the United States.

Rodrigo A. Medellín, Instituto de Ecología,Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

©MERLIN D. TUTTLE, BCI / 11 3 6 2 0 0


Ga ry Mc Cracken Ecology and Evo l u t i o n a ry Biology Chair at theUniversity of Tennessee says he features a classic Merlin photo (below)of a Mexican free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis) with a corn ear-worm moth in its mouth “in every talk I give on the ecosys-tem services of bats. Usually, it is the first slide I show.While I can easily talk for hours about the value ofbats, thisone pictureof Me r l i n’sis worth morethan my thousandsof words.”

The way “this photocaptures a message is a testa-ment to Me r l i n’s genius. T h emessage is simple: bat eats insects.When people know that this bat is oneof the millions of free-tailed bats that feedeach night over crop fields, and that cornearworms are the most destructive agricul-tural pests in America, the message becomesprofound. Photos like this, and the manythousands of other amazing photos of batsthat Merlin Tuttle has taken over the last 40years, have been a major factor in Merlin’ssuccess in presenting a positive image ofbats to more people than anyone in histo-ry.”

Education for Merlin and BCI alsomeans nurturing new generations of bat biologists through the Student ResearchScholarship fund.

“Although Merlin has been known above all for his immense contribution tobat conservation, his creative and organizational activities reach far beyond that,”says BCI Science Advisor Jiri Gaisler, Professor Emeritus at Masaryk University inthe Czech Republic. “No one else has done so much to promote knowledge of bathabitats worldwide. He organized (and took part in) the education of countlesspeople about the importance of bats for us humans and the unique role bats playin ecosystems.”

Australian Biologist Greg Richards, a member of BCI’s Scientific AdvisoryBoard, cites scholarships as part of the reason that “there are not many people inthe bat world who haven’t been touched or influenced by Merlin’s constant dili-gence. It was always a delight for me to review the applications for scholarshipsfrom around the world, especially those from kids in developing countries.Through this, you could see the result of Merlin’s efforts.”

Since the program began in 1990, BCI has awarded 275 scholarships totaling$674,798 for research conducted in 58 countries, from Argentina, Cambodia andCameroon to Uganda, Ukraine and Vietnam. These are competitive awardsjudged by top researchers from outside BCI, and the scholars represent some ofthe most promising young bat scientists in the world. Many BCI Scholars already


O ver the ye a rs, Merlin has passionatelyi n fluenced a host of students and colleag u e s

a round the world on the ecological values of b a t s,r a ng i ng from cave ecosystems to tropical rain-fo re s t s. Merlin’s passion for bats is marked by hisi n c redible photographic images that will continueto have positive impacts on the conservation of b a t sfor ye a rs to come.

Thomas H. Kunz, Center for Ecology andConservation Biology, Boston University

I had the good fo rtune to have a personal tour ofB r a cken Cave with Merlin and his family one finesummer eve n i ng. Streams of bats against a darke n-i ng eve n i ng sky lit by flashes of distant lig h t n i ngand sunlit storm cl o u d s. Merlin and I laughed withj oy at the beauty and power of it all. When I thinko f M e r l i n , I ack n ow l e dge and respect the scientist,the visionary, the leader – and I will remember asummer eve n i ng in Texas and a man who delig h t-ed in the moment as the bats began to emerge fro mB r a cken Cave.

Carol Lively, Wings Across the Americas Coordinator,U.S. Forest Service International Programs

In 1998, I met Merlin, I was impressed by hispassion for bats and his scientific know l e dge onLatin American bat ecolog y. Thanks to this visit, a n dt ogether with other regional initiative s, I decided Ishould try to do something similar and founded theB o l ivian Bat Conservation Program. Merlin was at remendous example for our new ly fo rmed pro-gram. We have re c e ived his constant support eve rs i n c e. Merlin has always been a good friend and akey ally to our effo rts to protect bats in the region.

Luis F. Aguirre, President, Bolivian BatConservation Program; BCI Science Advisor

When I drive over Congress Avenue Bridge withv i s i t o rs, I point out the kiosk about bats, the bats c u l p t u re and, o f c o u rs e, I tell them about how thee m e r gence of these bats has become one of t h emajor attractions of Austin. Then I tell them thatb e fo re Merlin arr ive d , t h ey we re try i ng to fig u reout how to get rid of all those bats under the bridge.N ow the fancy restaurants adve rtise that you candine on the veranda and wa t ch the bats emerge. Allo f that is because of M e r l i n .

Michael Ryan, Department of Integrative Biology,University of Texas at Austin

Gary McCracken of the University ofTennessee says this Merlin Tuttlephoto of a Mexican free-tailed batwith a moth in its mouth delivers amore powerful message than wordsalone can express.

Sign Up for aFounder’sCircle Ecotourto Trinidad

President Emeritus Merlin Tu ttle will lead aFounder’s Circle Ecotour to the Caribbean island

of Trinidad May 1-9, 2010.The island nation boasts more than 70 species of

bats, including fishing bats, fruit- and nectar-feedingbats, tent-making species, carnivorous bats and allthree species of vampire bats. The tour will be based

at the world-renowned Asa Wright Nature Centre &Lodge in the Arima Valley.

The fee for this memorable ecotour is $5,950(plus airf a re). A $1,000 donation to BCI is included.For more information and re g i s t ration, please conta c t :BCI Exe c u t i ve As s i s tant Dianne Odegard at d o d e-ga rd @ b a t c o n . o rg or call 512 327 - 9721, ext. 26.


1982: Filming a bat catching a frog for the BBC

2002: Gray myotis survey at Bellamy Cave, Tennessee

1993: With schoolchildren in Iron Mountain, Michigan

2006: Surve

1993: BCI Workshop in Portal, Arizona



1991: Mexic


eying Ligid Cave in the Philippines

1985: Inside Hubbards Cave, Tennessee

2004: With bats killed by wind turbines in West Virginia



can freetail emergence at Bracken Bat Cave



have become leaders in bat science and conservation.The Global Gr a s s roots Conservation Fund, meanwhile, has prov i d e d

$183,435 in grants for 73 local conservation projects in 40 countries. These smallgrants, which average about $2,500, tap the enthusiasm of local volunteers to cul-tivate the seeds of bat conservation around the globe. Educating children, farmersand communities about the value of their bats has always been an integral part ofGlobal Grassroots efforts.

Educational books, bro c h u res, videos, audiovisual productions and classro o mcurricula developed by BCI and its partners are teaching facts about bats around theworld. BCI workshops have taught bat-related re s e a rch, conservation and manage-ment techniques to more than 1,400 biologists, wildlife and land managers andother professionals from 23 countries; many are now leaders in bat conserva t i o n .

And from its earliest days, BCI has emphasized cooperation over confronta-tion, building alliances and partnerships with industry, government agencies andother organizations.

Working with members, friends and many public and private partners, BCIsparked creation of the American Samoa National Park to protect flying foxes;helped install bat-friendly gates on more than 1,000 American caves and mines toprotect millions of bats; purchased and protects Bracken Cave near San Antonio,summer home to the world’s largest colony of bats, 20 million Mexican freetails;led continuing work to ensure safe and stable water supplies for bats in arid west-ern states; launched a major research program to mitigate the alarming number ofbats killed by wind-energy turbines; and much, much more.

International initiatives have been a major part of BCI’s conservation effortssince its beginnings. In 1982, its first year, BCI helped convince the governmentof Thailand to protect millions of free-tailed and fruit bats that were being deci-mated by poachers by hiring a game warden at the Khao Chon Pran Cave. BCI’smost persuasive argument: Profits from guano mining, which supported a local

While leading a 2001 Founder’sCircle ecotour to Brazil, Merlin displays arare Davies’ big-eared bat.

A few ye a rs after I joined the Unive rsity ofA b e rd e e n , my attempts to obtain grants and estab-lish a re s e a rch group in bat ecology we re fru s t r a t-ed by the view widely held among British mam-m a l ogists that bats we re too difficult to study. I per-suaded the Mammal Society to allow me to devo t ea one-day meeting to bats and invited four Nort hAmerican colleagues to speak. Th ey we re Ja ckB r a d bu ry, Tom Ku n z , B ro ck Fenton and MerlinT u t t l e. The meeting room of the Zoological Societyo f London was filled to capacity and included thegr ay b e a rds who sat on grants committees. My nex tgrant application was successful. I have always re-ga rded that meeting as a turn i ng point and re m a i ngr a t e ful to my North American colleag u e s. Adecade later, M e r l i n ’s trailblazing with BCI was ah u ge encouragement to those of us invo l ved ine s t a b l i s h i ng the Bat Conservation Trust in the UK.

Paul Racey, Regius Professor of Natural History(retired), University of Aberdeen, United Kingdom

M e r l i n , yo u ’ ve done more for bat conserva t i o nthan anyone in history, and that is something thatyou (and all of us) should be proud of.

Bill Schutt, Biology DepartmentC.W. Post College of Long Island University




monastery and school, had fallen by half because of the declining bat population.Since then, BCI has sponsored varied conservation projects (in addition to

Global Grassroots awards and scholarships) with partners in many countries. Onerecent addition to that list is Norma Monfort of the Philippines, whose family hasfor decades owned a cave with the world’s largest-known population of Geoffroy’srousette fruit bats (Rousettus amplexicaudatus). Norma now is a tireless championnot just of that colony, but of bats throughout the Philippines.

“Whenever I am asked why I got into bat conservation, I become transformedinto an animated storyteller,” she says. “People listen wide-eyed as they feel theexcitement that I relive in recounting the details of such an incredible journey. Theimpact of having met and worked with Merlin D. Tuttle when he came to visitand assess the Monfort Bat Cave in June 2006 left an indelible impression, whichgrew into a formidable passion for the cause.

“To just say, ‘Thank you, Merlin, for all that you have done’ confines theimmensity of my gratitude and respect. Instead, continuing to successfully cham-pion bat conservation in the Philippines is what will make him proud.”

Searching for a bat roost, Merlin starts down a cliff at Fort Pearce Wash in Utah in1992.

As founder of the Bat Wo r k i ng Group for theNational Military Fish and Wi l d l i fe Association, Iwas in need of s u p p o rt from an established bat-c o n s e rvation organization to encourage bat survey sand management programs on military installa-t i o n s. Th rough the effo rts of Merlin and BCI, aMemorandum of U n d e rs t a n d i ng was deve l o p e db e t ween BCI and Department of D e fe n s e. This doc-ument has been instrumental in pro m o t i ng batre s e a rch and habitat improvement projects oninstallations throughout the country.

Chester O. Martin, Environmental Laboratory,U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center

I have never met anyone who has a better innateu n d e rs t a n d i ng of bat behavior than Merlin Tuttle.His direct experience wo r k i ng with bats all over theworld and his intuitive unders t a n d i ng of just howto handle them are unequalled. More ove r, t h eimpact of his conservation work has been fe l tt h roughout the world. Th e re are few people wh ocan tru ly identify the contribution they have madein their live s. With the creation of Bat Conserva t i o nI n t e rnational and decades of h a rd wo r k , M e r l i nhas re a l ly ch a nged the way that people think aboutbats – and by so doing has secured protection fo rdecades to come.

Rachel Page,Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

He is Merlin the Magician. It is sheer magic fo rsomeone to take on an animal group like bats andg ive them a totally new public image. Because ofM e r l i n ’s magic – his great drive – many, m a ny peo-ple see bats today as ch a rm i ng, fu rry, i n n o c e n t ,c u t e, and most of all useful Heroes of t h eEcosystem. This is a far cry from the image batshad: dange ro u s, rabies carr i e rs, va m p i re blood-s u cke rs, w i t ches’ companions, you name it. Not thatbat problems are ove r, but now we have a model fo rwhat to do and Merlin is our role model.

Sally Walker, BCI South Asia Liaison (India);Founder, Zoo Outreach Organization

Without the info rmation from BCI and yo u re a r ly and ex t e n s ive support , the Cayman IslandsBat Conservation Program would have never ex i s t-ed. We now have over 90 bat houses, most of t h e ms u c c e s s fu l , and effo rts continue on all fro n t si n cl u d i ng cave and fo rest conserva t i o n , rescue andre h a b, as well as public education. “Thanks” is nota big-enough wo rd for eve ry t h i ng you have donefor me and for bats eve ry wh e re.

Lois Blumenthal, Bat Conservation Program Director,National Trust for the Cayman Islands


Norma is now Executive Director of Philippine Bat Conservation, as well asPresident and Founder of Monfort Bat Cave & Conservation Foundation. Bothorganizations began after Merlin’s initial visit.

Through it all, Merlin never forgot the gray myotis, which was, based on hisresearch, officially listed as endangered in 1976. Largely through the efforts of BCIand its allies, this species is recovering strongly and seemed almost ready for grad-uation off the endangered list – at least until the appearance of White-noseSyndrome on the edge of its range. (Merlin played a lead role in organizing andfunding a WNS Science Priority Meeting for top WNS scientists in New York in2008 and worked with Tom Kunz of Boston University for a similar session inAustin last May. [See “WNS Goes to Congress” in this issue of BATS.])

Looking back over all those years, Senior Scientist Don Wilson of theSmithsonian National Museum of Natural History notes: “Merlin was among thefirst to recognize that all was not well in the world of bats, and among all of usworking on bats at the time, he was the only one to take the bull by the horns andfound his own NGO to do something about it.

“Watching Bat Conservation International grow over the years has been a plea-sure for all of us who worked with Merlin in some small way. The world of bats isa better place because of the efforts of Merlin Tuttle, and BCI has a strong andsecure future thanks to him.”ROBERT LOCKE is Director of Publications at Bat Conservation International.


Merlin, more than any other individual, hastransformed the image of bats in the eyes of liter-ally tens of thousands of people. We have him tothank for contributing directly, but also for moti-vating many others to be advocates for these ani-mals and be willing to stand up and speak to thevaluable roles they play and the nonsense thatperpetuates the myths that haunt them.

Mark Brigham, Professor,University of Regina, Canada

M a ny ye a rs ago, M e r l i n , when we first met, yo ulit a spark in me to learn all I could and put thatk n ow l e dge to work in my great interest to build thebest [bat] habitat that I know how. It is still lig h t i nga fire in me to keep try i ng to build the best possiblebat houses. I want to thank you for all yo u ’ ve done.

Marvin Maberry, Bat Conservationist andFounder, Maberry Centre Bat Homes

BCI has become a wo r l d - re c ognized orga n i z a-t i o n , the first place most people go for info rm a t i o non bats and their conservation. Under Merlin’sl e a d e rs h i p, BCI has instituted many valuable pro-gr a m s, not the least of wh i ch are the grant pro-grams that support many yo u ng bat re s e a rch e rsand the numerous workshops that have stimulatedm a ny individuals to become advocates for batst h roughout the wo r l d.

John O.Whitaker, Jr., Director,Center for North American Bat Research and

Conservation, Indiana State University

I ’ ve known Merlin Tuttle for almost 30 ye a rs.After he bu rst on the scene at the NationalG e ographic Society, I was his editor and adv i s o r.Merlin is a remarkable ch a r a c t e r, f i t t i ng right inwith the many other notable scientists who havere c e ived re s e a rch grants from the Society, p e o p l el i ke Jane Goodall, Louis and Mary Leakey, D i a nF o s s ey – the list is long but excl u s ive. So whyi n clude Merlin? Not just because of his stature as as c i e n t i s t , but also because he understood from theb eg i n n i ng that pro m o t i ng bats and their impor-tance was a vital key to our unders t a n d i ng of wh a tre a l ly matters on our planet. Because of M e r l i n , i nm a ny areas of the world those traditionally loathedand fe a red cre a t u res have become objects of a d m i-ration and awe. Wh i ch , come to think of i t , i sa lways how I've felt about Merlin himself.

Mary Smith, Senior Editor (retired)The National Geographic Society

TO COMMEMORATE MERLIN’S SERVICE TO BAT CONSERVATION

and ensure that his devotion to education continues far into the

future, Bat Conservation International is establishing the Merlin

Tuttle Bat Conservation Scholarship Fund. This fund will support

BCI Student Re s e a rch Sch o l a rships, No rth American Bat

Conservation Fund grants and Global Grassroots Conservation

efforts worldwide. You can show your gratitude for all that

Merlin has accomplished and make a personal difference for

bat conservation by contributing to this important initiative.

Please visit www.batcon.org/tuttleScholarship or contact BCI’s

Department of Development at (512) 327-9721.


ifetimeof atsand science - bat conservation … · many years ago, recalls biologist richard laval...

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