Merlin Tuttle's Bat Conservation

Merlin Tuttle founded MTBC in 2014, in order to most effectively share his 60-plus-year legacy of experience, diplomacy, and photographic documentation of bats. Our goal is to empower other organizations and individuals for greater progress.

After retiring from more than 30 years of leadership at BCI in 2009, it had become apparent that existing organizations for bats were inadequately prepared to address the most serious new challenges. Furthermore, his collection of over 100,000 Kodachrome slides, which had served as the foundation of bat conservation for decades, was deteriorating and urgently needed to be protected and made digitally accessible. Through MTBC, approximately two-thirds of Merlin's collection, and more than 2,000 images of nearly 300 species are already available for self-serve, shopping-cart-type downloading from our photo gallery by conservationists, educators and publishers worldwide.

Additionally, we are providing? key resources addressing the most important issues facing bats. We're countering irresponsible disease speculation with sound science. We're documenting much-needed rabies policy changes in America, addressing the need for new directions in WNS policy, and recommending positive approaches to deal with the wind energy crisis, climate change and to overcome pesticide addiction.

MTBC is the only organization licensing Merlin's photos and supporting his ongoing conservation initiatives.

Thank you for your interest in bats. Any and all donations are greatly needed and appreciated!