Bat House Guide

Dr. Merlin Tuttle has studied and photographed bats worldwide for more than sixty years. He founded and led Bat Conservation International (BCI) for nearly thirty years, then left BCI in 2009 and founded Merlin Tuttle’s Bat Conservation (MTBC).

Dr. Tuttle has published his classic research on bats in leading journals, contributed five articles to National Geographic, and lectured at institutions of science, from Harvard and Princeton Universities to the Smithsonian and British Museums. He is recognized as the father of modern bat conservation and is credited with saving the now famous Congress Avenue Bridge bat colony in Austin, Texas from extermination.

His unique photography and communication first led to the global appreciation of bats as safe, invaluable, and even adorable and likable creatures. No one has better demonstrated the power of combining captivating photos with sound science to win friends instead of battles for bats. Nor has anyone better demonstrated how conservation can benefit humans. Tuttle’s legendary photos and experience provide invaluable guidance and inspiration that must be preserved and shared for future generations.