Endangered Species Act Protections Sought for Painted Woolly Bats
Species Threatened by Demand for Décor and Curios
WASHINGTON — The Center for Biological Diversity and Monitor Conservation Research Society filed a legal petition today asking the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect Painted Woolly Bats Kerivoula picta under the Endangered Species Act.
Known for their striking orange and black wings, Painted Woolly Bats are collected and killed in their native habitat in South and Southeast Asia and sold as décor globally. The United States is a major and growing market for this trade: The U.S. has imported hundreds of Painted Woolly Bats over recent years. As this species is not bred in captivity, all the bats are taken from the wild.
“Painted Woolly Bats should be flying free in their native forests, not nailed to a wall in the United States,” said Dianne DuBois, a staff scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity. “I hope U.S. officials act quickly to protect these unique and beautiful bats so they can recover and flourish.”
Known for their striking orange and black wings, Painted Woolly Bats are collected and killed in their native habitat in South and Southeast Asia and sold as décor globally. Photo © MerlinTuttle.org
Painted Woolly Bat populations are declining. The International Union for Conservation of Nature assessed the species as “near threatened,” yet few nations within the species’ range offer the bats effective protection from killing. The bats live in China, India, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Viet Nam.
“Given the international nature of this trade and the fact that at least a portion of the trade is illegal, listing the Painted Woolly Bat in the appendices of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) should also be considered,” said Chris R. Shepherd, Ph.D., executive director of Monitor Conservation Research Society. “CITES is an incredibly useful tool to regulate trade, to allow for collection of trade statistics for monitoring purposes, and to support national efforts to protect species.”
Given that they only produce one offspring at a time, Painted Woolly Bats are particularly vulnerable to trade. Scientists have been raising concerns about the potential harms of the bat décor trade for nearly a decade, yet the market has only grown. Online listings offering Painted Woolly Bats for sale are plentiful on major ecommerce websites.
Researchers have also expressed concerns about the potential for trade in bats to spread disease to healthy bat populations and humans.
Bats are declining globally in the current biodiversity crisis. About 34% of the world’s bat species assessed by IUCN are either threatened with extinction or data deficient. Nine bat species have gone extinct. Southeast Asia is estimated to lose 23% of its bat species by 2100.
The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.7 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.
The Monitor Conservation Research Society (Monitor) is dedicated to countering the threat of illegal and unsustainable wildlife trade. See mcrsociety.org for more information.
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