Halloween spider web decorations can trap and kill bats, experts warn

Fake spider webs may be a popular Halloween decoration, but wildlife experts are warning that the stretchy material can trap and kill bats, birds and other animals.

Corky Quirk, a bat expert with NorCal Bats, said the organization has already received two calls this year about bats becoming tangled in artificial spider web decorations. One bat died, while another is being rehabilitated before it can be released.

"She had the spider webbing in her mouth, wrapped around her wings. It was a mess," Quirk said, describing one of the incidents.

Quirk recently visited the CBS News Sacramento newsroom with bats to help explain the risks the decorations pose during Halloween season.

She said artificial webbing can be difficult for wildlife to avoid, even for bats, which use echolocation to navigate and locate prey.

"You might think, 'It's a bat, it can echolocate,' but bats don't always use echolocation. Sometimes they're just going from point A to point B," Quirk said. "Because they're looking for a grasshopper on the ground so these guys will get caught."

The calls into NorCal Bats involving trapped bats came from Camino and Roseville, according to Quirk.

Bats play an important role in the ecosystem by eating insects, including mosquitoes and agricultural pests. Quirk said protecting bats also helps reduce reliance on pesticides.

"We're a huge agricultural area. Pesticides are used in our state but we don't want increases. We need the bats to control the insects and keep us healthy, but don't touch them," she said.

What to do if you find a bat

The warning comes less than two weeks after a child came into contact with a rabid bat in Sutter County.

Health officials caution that people should never handle bats with their bare hands, whether the animal is caught in a Halloween decoration or found elsewhere.

If you find a bat tangled in artificial webbing, contact a local wildlife rescue organization for guidance rather than attempting to handle it yourself.

The California Department of Public Health also noted an increase in rabies cases this year. Officials say the risk to the general public remains low, but avoiding direct contact with bats is important.