Mark Best

First, some clarification. That’s Mark on the right.

Mark is a bat surveyor and joined Arbtech as an ecologist the 6th hire of 2011, following a long and varied career in zoology. A senior handler for rare and exotic species at the Zoological Society of London and Dunstable Zoo, Mark has experience of being directly responsible for Lions, Tigers, Cheetahs, White Rhino, Giraffe and many other non native species of animal.

Mark trained and coached junior members of staff while at Dunstable Zoo. He also got personally involved in the common dormouse breeding and releasing programme. Mark worked for the Zoological Society of London for 28 years, from 1983 until early 2011. During this time he developed a love and knowledge of many animal species, exotic and native. As a long standing member of Bedfordshire Bat Group, Mark worked on a voluntary basis for many years, building up essential knowledge and handling experience of bats before in 2006 being awarded a Roost Visitor survey license for Science and Education, by Natural England; England’s statutory nature conservation organization (SNCO).

Robert Oates, founder and managing director says:

“To say Mark knows his stuff is not doing him anything like justice. Working for the zoo in London and being a long-time member of the Beds Bat Group means he’s been there and done it already; probably twenty years before anyone else. In countless hundreds of surveys he’s rarely the cause of anything expect positive feedback from customers. Mark’s also really family oriented and somehow manages to spend quality time with his son, while working what seems like about a thousand hours a week. Hat’s off to him!”