I am an African bat conservationist. I am part of the @globalsouthbats , helping unite and strengthen bat conservation in Africa and Latin America 🦇
Our recent fieldwork activity tagging the Harrison’s large-eared giant mastiff bat at Mt. Suswa conservancy was a first of its kind in the bat field here in Kenya. The activity involved a diverse team of experts and students with rigorous activities ranging from tag programming, bat capture and processing to actually tag and eventually release the bats back to their natural habitat, which would of course follow the data collection that would inform targeted conservation actions.
Classmate Ben Okita giving a lecture and having fun in NC the Kenyan way. He was hosted by great friend, colleague and senior @Okoth Oyugi. Professor Oyugi hosted me severally in house in Illinois before he moved to NC. Go go, guy, the sky is the limit!
Kenya’s foremost bat expert Dr. Paul Webala catches bats to record their calls for an acoustic library — a “game changer” for African bat studies. Going into these coral coastal caves with Dr. Webala was like entering another world. A dark, moist space, the ground would move beneath our feet, bats would fly around us, and snakes lurked in dark corners. While it took some adjusting for me to feel comfortable, it was amazing to see him light up as he explored ever deeper — a reminder of how much there is to learn and appreciate in the unlit crevices of our shared planet.
Dazzling in flight, mysteriously resistant to disease, vital to ecosystems around the globe — bats are a scientific wonder. From August’s @natgeo  story “Bats, A Love Story,” with deep gratitude to the legendary @kurtmutchler who shepherded this story for over two years. Link in bio for the whole emergence.
Want to join us in Langkawi and Borneo in 2025 and collaborate with bat biologists from across the Global South?
Applications are open until October 25, 2024 🌟. Don’t miss out on this opportunity! More info in the link shown, and the video in our last post. We hope to see you there!
#conservationworkshop #fieldcourse #batresearch
See you in Malaysia! We are delighted to announce that applications are open for our second Networking Workshop and Field Course on Bat Identification, Ecology and Conservation that will take place in Malaysia in February 10-21, 2025!
This will be an unforgettable experience bringing together bat conservationists from Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean for the first workshop ever of its kind!! We are looking for people that are committed to continue engaging, working, collaborating, and participating in the Global South Network. If that sounds like you, please apply!
Visit globalsouthbats.org/malaysia for more information on the event, eligibility criteria, and how to apply. Please help us share this call widely.
#batconservation #fieldcourse #capacitybuilding #malaysia #globalsouth #batresearch
