HALLOWEEN ALERT: California Wildlife Experts Warn About Decoration Dangers...

California bat populations face an unexpected seasonal threat: synthetic Halloween decorations, particularly fake spider webs, can entangle and kill bats during their critical fall migration period. Wildlife officials are urging residents to avoid these materials or dispose of them carefully, since bats navigating urban areas at night mistake the strands for actual webs and become trapped. The problem peaks in October when migration activity peaks and decorations proliferate, affecting species already stressed by habitat loss and white-nose syndrome.