Merlin Tuttle is a photographer with difficult subjects. His quarry are extremely fast, small and normally only come out when it's dark. Bats. While trying to get the best snap Merlin Tuttle has hidden from lions in a waste deep, crocodile infested river - run from murderous communist guerrillas in Caracas, confronted shotgun-wielding moonshiners in caves and had part of his lung dissolved by toxic fumes from a gigantic pile of bat droppings.
What's driven him to persist is a deep affection for the winged mammals which he says are not only extremely intelligent and social but also vital allies in the fight against insect pests. Merlin says the greatest threat to bats is human fear and in an effort to dispel that fear he's published a book – The Secret Lives of Bats.
You can find more of Merlin Tuttle's bat photo's - and learn more about his conservation work at www.merlintuttle.com
