Congress Ave Bats Feed on a Diverse Buffet of Insects
December 4, 2024
On warm summer evenings, as the hum of insects fills the air, it’s common to hear someone exclaim, “We could use some bats to handle
Merlin’s career in international bat conservation began at Khao Chong Pran Cave in 1982. During a trip funded by Verne Read, Buddhist monks at the Wat Khao Chong Pran asked Merlin for help in discovering why the cave’s bats, whose guano they sold as fertilizer, were in severe decline.
Aided by Thai assistant, Surapon Duangkhae–who latter became one of Thailand’s leading conservationists–Merlin discovered and documented that commercial bat hunters were catching many thousands of bats for sale to restaurants. His advice to the monks: hire a guard to protect the bats from further exploitation. As a result, the colony recovered. The monks’ guano sales jumped from$12,000 USD in 1981 to $89,000USD in 1989, and $135,000 USD by 2002. Today there are three guards protecting the cave, and we were delighted to meet them. See Tuttle, Merlin D. (Fall 1990) Return to Thailand, Bats Magazine, volume 8, No. 3.
http://batcon.org/index.php/media-and-info/bats-archives.html?task=viewArticle&magArticleID=461
We also met with the head monk who remembered Merlin and his work at the cave. He showed us the handwritten ledger of guano sales for the past two years, which will prove invaluable in evaluating the bats’ current status. The monks don’t mine the guano themselves, they pay local villagers to do it.
The bats now additionally benefit the monastery by attracting thousands of bat watching tourists.
http://youtu.be/DRLieY-mJyU
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On warm summer evenings, as the hum of insects fills the air, it’s common to hear someone exclaim, “We could use some bats to handle
Thanks to all the Join the Nightlife: Bats and Agriculture attendees who joined us out in the field this year! Guests got hands-on experience with
Supporter and friend of MTBC, Australian conservation and animal welfare photojournalist Doug Gimesy, had his images recognized in two categories at the recent Siena International
Fieldwork requires a lot of equipment, but photography requires even more! During our June 2024 photography workshop, we transported over 100 lbs. of equipment —
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.