They may seem like the "perfect Halloween emblem", but the growing trend of using stuffed bats as "home décor" is driving the embattled species towards a new crisis, according to a report.
Painted woolly bats are being sold on Amazon, eBay and Etsy in a "frivolous" and illegal online trade, said The Times, and it could pose a danger not only to bat species, but also humans and the climate.
A new study in the European Journal of Wildlife Research revealed a "flourishing black market" in stuffed and mounted bats sold as Halloween decorations that has gone "largely unnoticed", said The New York Times.
They are sold online in "frames, jars, coffins, jewellery and more", said The Verge, in a wild animal trade that has "flown under the radar", but "poses risks to the bats and potentially the people who handle them".
Humans could be in danger from the trade as there is a "small risk of spreading disease", said The Verge. Although it's "unlikely" that the buyer of a stuffed bat would catch something, there's greater risk for whoever harvested that bat in the wild.
Bats play an important role in agriculture by "dispersing seeds, pollinating plants and controlling pest populations", added The Verge.
Conservationists are asking "well-meaning bat enthusiasts" seeking a spooky aesthetic in their home not to purchase items containing "real bats, bat parts or skeletons", said The Verge. "After all, there are also plenty of faux bats on the market to collect." | 
