This is the trip of a lifetime – join us!
MTBC members receive first notice for trip information and invitations.
Witness millions of straw-colored fruit bats in the largest most spectacular aggregation of flying foxes in the world at Kasanka National Park. We will help document and highlight this spectacle whilst helping with crucial research on the other 38 bat species known to reside within the park.
Recently the park has been threatened with agricultural encroachment which will damage the sensitive habitats the bats require. We will help to document their plight and use the funds to help rebuild the dilapidated education and research camp. Even if you cannot join the trip, you can still support rebuilding of the camp.
Working with the parks conservation team we will be carrying out systematic surveys to document, photograph, and learn about the many fascinating bat species.
We will be staying in comfortable chalets in Kasanka National Park on the shores of Lake Wasa, home to hippos, elephants, and many antelope species. And yes, of course, bats and more bats!!
This is a special opportunity to learn from leading experts Merlin Tuttle, Janet Tyburec, Troy Swift, and Charles Rohla. Get hands-on training in bat house building, bat mist netting and acoustic surveying, and sustainable agriculture techniques. See and hear live bats while learning all about the amazing world of bats and pest control!
Participants enthusiastically learn and improve their bat handling, photography, and conservation skills while providing surveys of local bats, greatly aiding local resource managers in their knowledge of bats.
MTBC shares the photos and information gathered at these locations with local communities for educational use. Of course, participants also took many of their own, greatly contributing to their ability to serve as ambassadors for bats.
Participants enable major survey work that couldn’t be accomplished without such additional help.
Participants learn bat handling, radiotracking, identification, and record keeping. Radiotracking bats to find roosts is lots of fun, especially when working with others who share similar enthusiasm. It’s exciting to sometimes capture and identify 50 or more species at a single location, including an amazing diversity, from vampires, fishing, and frog-eating bats to those that hunt insects, disperse fruit seeds, or pollinate flowers.
We aim to provide these hands-on opportunities annually for our members, while expanding knowledge of bats and their unique conservation requirements at locations of special need worldwide. COVID concerns forced cancellation of most face-to-face speaking engagements and workshops in 2020 and 2021.
2023 © 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.
