Merlin Tuttle began building his Bat Photo Collection in 1966 while leading expeditions for the Smithsonian in Venezuela. It includes 381 bat species and the world’s most comprehensive coverage of bat diversity, behavior, and values. It is irreplaceable and has served as literally the backbone of science, education and conservation, illustrating bats worldwide for over 40 years, and counting! Dr. Tuttle’s photos have been featured in five National Geographic articles and thousands of other publications, exhibits, and educational programs.
Current availability on our self-serve site provides access to the collection encompassing 21 families, 150 genera, and 381 species from 45 countries. These images are available for little to no cost for non-profit and educational use.
Nevertheless, film gradually deteriorates, and damage and loss are inevitable. Kodachrome slides had to be individually retrieved and returned systematically to containers in a climate-controlled vault. Additionally, the process was labor-intensive and therefore became prohibitively costly to manage.
The Bat Scan Project ensures long-term protection and a secure backup of the collection at multiple locations. It also, for the first time, enables instant keyword searches, dramatically reducing the cost of servicing requests. The project began in August 2015 when we hired Teresa Nichta to take charge. Thanks to generous assistance from members and donors, we’re making excellent progress.
In 2017, Renee Cornue was hired to expedite the completion of the scanning under Teresa’s supervision. Approximately 100,000 35 mm Kodachrome slides of bats were sorted, and the best 18,000 of these were additionally scanned, keyworded, and archived by early 2019. We then began organizing information and editing to repair decades of accumulated damage (scratches, dust etching, and color shifts).
To maximize collection availability during the Bat Scan Project, we selected 2,000 images representing a wide diversity of species, behavior, and values and gave them priority attention for early finalization of editing, captioning, and entry in our Bat Photos Gallery. These include 21 families of bats, 150 genera and 381 species from 45 countries. They are already available at a small handling fee to non-profit education and conservationists worldwide, and at reasonable fees to commercial publishers. All fees support collection maintenance.
The project has been divided into four phases. Phase I began with Merlin’s personal review of each slide, selecting for quality and importance and updating for taxonomic changes. Since he began his collection the number of recognized species has grown from fewer than 850 to nearly 1,400. Taxonomists have divided some into six or more, and others have been synonymized, creating a major challenge just to ensure correct identifications! As of January 2018, Phase I of the project (sorting, digital scanning, and keywording was approximately 75% complete) and was finished on schedule by early 2019 and funded by grants and donations. This was the most urgent part due to the age of the slides and was critical to long-term access and protection.
Phase II Keywording, captioning, and checking for database inconsistencies (typos, misspellings, taxonomy, and errors), is crucial to efficient, impactful, and cost-effective use. This is heavily reliant on Dr. Tuttle’s assistance (which is volunteered), unsurpassed knowledge of bats, and impeccable memory. We will hire an expert Archivist with database building via Adobe Lightroom software, we anticipate completion of Phase II in approximately 12 months once funding is secured.
Phase III Editing of the most important images and updating taxonomic information. The collection involves six decades of growth, data entries by different people, taxonomic changes, etc. Also, over the past 30 years the number of recognized bat species has climbed from approximately 850 to over 1,400. Some previously recognized species have been lumped together by taxonomists while others have been split. This requires a thorough literature review with Dr. Tuttle’s oversight, to update species classifications and information and hiring a full-time Collection Curator.
Phase IV Long-term collection management and accessioning will require a full-time Collection Curator. Ideally, the person hired to lead Phase II and III activities will be retained for long-term employment in this position with minimal oversight. An endowment will be sought to ensure collection security and availability in perpetuity.
Currently Merlin and MTBC staff share both scans and new images through social media. Selections of the best and most likely to be requested images are periodically added to our website for public use. The remainder will be held in reserve, available on special request.
The entire digitized Merlin Tuttle Bat Collection is bequeathed permanently to MTBC, with specified conditions for management and for succession if needed. The plan is for MTBC, led by Dr. Tuttle, to develop an endowed bat education center in Austin where his unsurpassed bat documentation can provide a firm foundation for exemplary education while documenting the many benefits of living in harmony with nature, even with traditionally feared bats.
We especially thank an anonymous donor, Bettina and Travis Mathis, The Brown Foundation, the Hershey Foundation, The Herb and Joan Kelleher Foundation, The Steves Foundation, the Verne and Marion Read family, Jeff and Helen Acopian, and Mindy Vescovo for critical early funding.
Donations on behalf of the ongoing project are much needed and deeply appreciated.
Our goal is to ensure preservation of Dr. Tuttle’s priceless legacy for bats, beginning with the Bat Scan Project, culminating in endowment support that will ensure long-term availability.
2024 © Merlin Tuttle’s Bat Conservation. All rights reserved.
Michael Lazari Karapetian has over twenty years of investment management experience. He has a degree in business management, is a certified NBA agent, and gained early experience as a money manager for the Bank of America where he established model portfolios for high-net-worth clients. In 2003 he founded Lazari Capital Management, Inc. and Lazari Asset Management, Inc. He is President and CIO of both and manages over a half a billion in assets. In his personal time he champions philanthropic causes. He serves on the board of Moravian College and has a strong affinity for wildlife, both funding and volunteering on behalf of endangered species.
