I was the Director of Lubee Bat Conservancy (then known as Lubee Foundation) from 2001-2011.  Lubee Bat Conservancy  is a USDA registered Research and Exhibit Facility. Research projects conducted at the center have yielded over 150 published articles/theses/book chapters. When Lubee was founded, little information existed on the life history of fruit bats in the wild or in captivity. For nearly three decades, Lubee has supported research that has significantly expanded our knowledge of reproductive biology, physiology, immunology, behavior, nutrition, phylogeny and ecology of fruit bats.

 

Genetic Breeding

One of my hardest won achivement swas gaining accreditation for Lubee Bat Conservancy as an AZA Certified Related Facility.  The facility is the premier bat husbandry and medical management facility in the world. All of the species maintained are bred following  genetic management plans to determine dams/sires.  Some species are managed as part of a regional collection plan and individual species plans.  All breeding records are kept on zoo systems ZIMS, and as a long term member of the  Bat Taxon Advisory Group  I contributed to the development of fruit bat husbandry manuals,  Species Management Plans, and education outreach programmes

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Zoos and exhibit design

Lubee has uniquely designed enclosures for fruit bats- from large flying foxes to smaller species. During my tenure as Director, I assisted architects and staff from Oakland Zoo, Columbus Zoo and many others, in designing exhibit spaces and transferring animals to these zoos for exhibit. We assisted with enrichment and nutrition advice. I also assisted University of Cambridge and CDC in the development in enclosure designs to maintain research colonies of bats in captivity. My expertise was drawn upon when White Nose Syndrome struck North American bat populations, and I participated in a planning scenario workshop for bringing endangered bats into captivity for breeding.

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Internships

Lubee Bat Conservancy offers a unique and exciting internship that helps participants gain professional animal care experience  by participating in daily keeper activities including animal husbandry, nutrition, enrichment, training, and guest education. During my tenure, I developed an MOU with Santa Fe Teaching Zoo and  as an adjucnct professor at University of Florida, hosted  many students annually

 

Research in captivity

The living bat collection at Lubee provides a unique opportunity to study Pteropodid bats in a controlled setting. Over multiple years, I developed research partnerships with CDC, Duke University, NIH, EcoHealth Alliance, and many others to study fruit bat immune systems, physiology, flight dynamics, and breeding. A better understanding of fruit bat immunology gives insight into zoonotic pathogens and human health. Projects included:

• Developing an enzyme linked immunosorbent Assay for detecting antibody response in Pteropus

• Filoviral Immuno-reactivity – US Army Medical Institute for Infectious Diseases.

• Characterization of the antiviral response in R. aegyptiacus and P. vampyrus – Boston University School of Medicine.