YORK COUNTY, Pa. — As Halloween approaches, devilish decorations are lining the streets. However, it's not the ghouls and ghosts giving wildlife experts a scare.
"Any kind of netting is always dangerous for animals," said Lily Richwine, education and outreach coordinator for West Shore Wildlife Center in York County.
Richwine said one decoration is capable of more harm than the rest.
Fake spider webs on bushes and front porches can catch real-life prey.
"Bugs will get stuck in those nettings and then animals like birds or bats will fly in to try to catch those bugs and they'll get stuck in that webbing," Richwine said. "That can result, as those birds or bats try to escape out of those, in injury."
As they struggle to break free, birds and bats can get wound in the web, sometimes cutting off circulation, or leading to wounds.
If an animal gets caught, experts say don't try to untangle the creature on your own.
"You can cut out the section of webbing that they're stuck in and bring the whole webbing, with the bird or the bat or whatever animal it may be, to us," Richwine said. "We can remove it without removing feathers, without injuring the bird."
Some outdoor fall décor can also harm deer, who are attracted to the pumpkins and corn they see as a food source.
"If they have learned that humans put out food and you put out plastic pumpkins instead of the real ones, they can try to eat those," Richwine said. "Those can get lodged in their throat and cause injury that way as well or even poisoning if there are certain paints or chemicals in those plastic pumpkins."
Wildlife experts are asking residents to be mindful of the kinds of decorations they're putting out in their front yards, helping keep wildlife safe this spooky season.
You can reach West Shore Wildlife Center at (717) 268-9574.