Literally thousands of temple ruins are near Siem Reap to explore, and at least three days is recommended to see most of them. In one day we visited ten, and were pleased to find bats in most of them. The complex of temples known as Angkor was built from the 9th to 13th century by […]
We spent two nights at the Battambang Bat Caves in Cambodia to photograph the incredible emergences of the Asian wrinkle-lipped bats (Chaerephon plicatus). With help from Thona, our colleague and interpreter, Merlin interviewed the owner of the guano harvesting permit for one of the caves (he called it Tarum). He advised the man to never again use pesticides inside […]
Approximately 250 members, representing 22 nations of the ATBC met in Phnom Penh, Cambodia for their 2015 annual meeting of the Asia-Pacific Chapter, March 31 to April 3, and Merlin provided a 45-minute plenary lecture titled “The Amazing World of Bats and a Novel View of Conservation.” Following his talk Merlin co-chaired a parallel symposium with Neil […]
Merlin and Dr. Neil Furey, a conservation biologist who’s worked in Cambodia for the past six years with extensive knowledge of SE Asian bats, co-led a cave conservation workshop preceding the Association for Tropical Biology & Conservation–Asia-Pacific Chapter Annual Meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Following our field trip to the bat farms along the Mekong River south of Phnom Penh in Kandal Province, Merlin and Neil Furey of Cambodia put on a two-day cave workshop for about 10 participants. They lectured with slide presentations to students who already had more than basic knowledge and experience with bats. After lunch, […]
Cambodian farmers in the Mekong River Delta have a long history of attracting bats to their farms. Merlin has documented with photographs the step-by-step process of this win/win situation for the farmers and the bats. (Be sure to watch the video below!) Cambodian farmers cut and dry the fronds of sugar palms and wire them […]
Merlin presented his lecture, Bat Pollinators of the Americas, to an enthusiastic, sold-out audience today at the Texas Pollinators PowWow, hosted by the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, Texas, despite a winter weather advisory and freezing rain. He introduced a wide variety of nectar-feeding bats and their ecological and economic contributions to habitats from the Sonoran Desert […]
Since finally returning home from a year of extensive travel on behalf of bats, Merlin has been preoccupied with final editing and photo submission for his new book, The Secret World of Bats, My Adventures with the World’s Most Misunderstood Mammals (for release by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, October 2015), writing to publishers in response to […]
Case Closed–No further action needed. Subsequent stories about bats have been mostly positive. Thank you Bat Fans for your participation. May 24, 2016
Many of you, even among bat researchers, will be amazed at these examples of melifluous bat songs. You can read/listen to the full story on Radiolab.org Tadarida brasiliensis Nyctinomops laticaudatus Pipistrellus nathusii
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Madelline Mathis has a degree in environmental studies from Rollins College and a passion for wildlife conservation. She is an outstanding nature photographer who has worked extensively with Merlin and other MTBC staff studying and photographing bats in Mozambique, Cuba, Costa Rica, and Texas. Following college graduation, she was employed as an environmental specialist for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. She subsequently founded the Florida chapter of the International DarkSky Association and currently serves on the board of DarkSky Texas. She also serves on the board of Houston Wilderness and was appointed to the Austin Water Resource Community Planning Task Force.
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.
