Vampires that aren’t, flying foxes, mango eaters, the one thousand and one secrets of the creatures who “fly with their hands"…

He has long been the most renowned photographer of this unloved animal. Indeed, bats have the unfortunate privilege of evoking the same myth in all countries of the world: that of the vampire. Its reputation of evil has led to its decimation. Poorly understood, the biggest and most impressive specimens are fruit eaters, while the bloodsuckers are no bigger than 10 centimetres.

Merlin Tuttle’s fascination for the flying mammal developed into affection. He decided to study them so that he could rehabilitate them. In 1982, he created the association “Bat Conservation International” and has received numerous awards for his work, demonstrating notably how bats can be of interest to humans.

He is called to the rescue in the USA, in Africa or in Asia, to prove that the flying animal is inoffensive, to protect it or study an unknown species. He organises 5-day work sessions during which he might capture 17 different species and, before an astonished audience, comments on the characteristics and specificities of the captured bats.

Echolocation, blind navigation and simultaneous radar emissions in flight no longer hold any secrets for the scientific specialist and eminent bat protector. Today, his numerous publications serve his primary objective: to preserve bats and reveal this unloved animal to a larger audience.