Halloween has come and gone once again, but the nightmare lives on for Australia’s wildlife. This year, a council in Sydney’s east has warned residents to stop using fake spiderwebs as a Halloween decoration. Although seemingly harmless, these synthetic webs can spin a chilling tale for small birds and insects, sometimes even ending in a deadly twist.
"Birds often use real spider silk for building their nests but can't tell the difference between genuine silk and artificial webbing," the Waverley Council wrote in a Facebook post.
This can turn into a real-life horror story if the birds get tangled up in the webs, leading to distress, injury and, sadly, even death. It’s especially alarming for clueless chicks, as the spooky season coincides with nesting season in Australia.
To make matters worse, these lightweight spiderwebs are easily picked up by the wind and can create further hazards for birds, microbats and insects when blown into public areas like parks and beaches. Plus it's just another synthetic material that ends up in landfill.
So if you haven’t taken your decorations down yet, take this as your cue. Don’t let the horror continue any longer.