I AM NOT ART!
I AM NOT DECOR!
I AM NOT AN ORNAMENTAL!
Every year, thousands of bats are killed for use as ornamentals in a rising demand for taxidermy bats. Of particular concern is the Painted Woolly Bat (Kerivoula picta) from Asia which is a striking, beautiful bat with orange fur and dark wings. This species is now listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN because of the trade in dead bats. We must stop using bats for "artful" purposes, and understand the harm this is doing to numerous species in the US and around the world. We also need to speak with artists and shops (both brick/mortar and online) to inform them that these bats are NOT sustainably sourced.
Painted Woolly Bats in their natural habitat
I AM NOT ART.I AM NOT ART.I AM NOT ART.I AM NOT ART.I AM NOT ART.
I AM NOT ART.I AM NOT ART.I AM NOT ART.I AM NOT ART.I AM NOT ART.
A quick online search reveals how prevalent the demand for taxidermy bats is in the US
The following was taken from a Facebook post by Bat Conservation & Rescue QLD: Well meaning people purchase these unethical products as gifts or decorations. Sellers blatantly lie or are misled themselves, claiming they are ethically produced. Usually they say the bats are either found already passed or that the bats are bred in captivity to be used for taxidermy. Both of these scenarios are an impossibility for bats due to their biology. Occasionally you may find a relatively intact bat that has already passed but to find these fresh, completely intact and in large numbers is impossible. Breeding bats in captivity is extremely difficult, has high financial costs and requires specialist enclosures that do not exist where these bats are coming from.
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Recently, the Monitor Conservation Research Society and Centre for Biological Diversity petitioned to add the Painted Woolly Bat to the US Endangered Species Act. You can read the press release here. You can also read the legal petition here. Lubee Bat Conservancy fully supports this petition.
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TAKE ACTION
Together we can reverse the decline in bat species. The following steps can be taken by anyone to make a difference for bats.
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1. Stop purchasing taxidermy bats.
2. Inform sellers that these bats are not sustainably sourced, come from wild populations, and are killed solely for art/décor/ornamental purposes. There is NO BREEDING of these species and it is directly leading to significant declines in bat populations which could ultimately lead to extinction.
3. Write to the following individuals with USFWS in support of the petition.
- Honorable Debra Haaland, Secretary of the Interior, exsec@ios.doi.gov
- Martha Williams, Director U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, martha_williams@fws.gov
- Rachel London, Manager Branch of Delisting and Foreign Species, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, rachel_london@fws.gov
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Feel free to use this template:
I am writing today to express my support of the Monitor Conservation Research Society and Centre for Biological Diversity petition to add the Painted Woolly Bat (Kerivoula picta) to the US Endangered Species Act. The biggest known threat to Painted Woolly Bats is the demand for this species sold as ornamental items. There is high demand in the United States for taxidermy Painted Woolly Bats often mounted in frames or miniature coffins for household décor. The United States is a major driver of the trade in dead Painted Woolly Bats, typically importing more than 1,000 Painted Woolly Bats and other unidentified Kerivoula species each year, according to the U.S. Law Enforcement Management Information System (LEMIS) database. Little is known about the trade chain supplying Painted Woolly Bats, except that specimens are being taken out of the wild. Overexploitation of this species is particularly concerning given their life history of slow reproduction resulting in only one offspring per year. Current regulatory mechanisms are not adequate for protecting Painted Woolly Bats, and action must be taken to prevent further declines. As the popularity of the taxidermy bat trade continues to increase, the United States must take responsibility as a consumer country and extend protections to the painted woolly bat by listing it under the Endangered Species Act.
Please strongly consider adding the Painted Woolly Bat (Kerivoula picta) to the US Endangered Species Act to prevent further declines and ultimately, extinction for this spectacular animal.
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Respectfully
(your name)
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OUR PROJECTS ARE POSSIBLE THANKS TO YOU, OUR AMAZING DONORS! BUT, THERE IS MORE WORK TO DO....A LOT MORE WORK, AND WE NEED YOUR HELP TO SAVE BATS, ENGAGE COMMUNITIES, AND CONTINUE OUR EDUCATION AND AWARENESS CAMPAIGNS.
TO DONATE TO OUR ONGOING EFFORTS PLEASE CLICK HERE.
YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. THANK YOU!!
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