Deadly black widow found in Kent

Vet Mark Rowland with the deadly black widow

Tuesday, June 07 2011
by Alan McGuinness

Its venom is 15 times more deadly than a rattlesnake, it devours males after mating - and it's looking for a new home... in Kent.

A black widow spider was discovered by workers importing cars from the United States at Chatham Docks at the weekend.

It was trapped and taken to a Maidstone veterinary surgery in a Chinese takeaway carton.

Mark Rowland, the owner of Trinity Vet Centre and an expert in zoological medicine says he has never had to deal with something like this before.

He said: "The first thing we thought when it was brought in was: 'Thank god there are not any holes in this'. At least it was secure.

"The thing about Chinese takeaway cartons is that they have got firm lids you can put on.

"The guys had done a good job in entrapping it in that. Although it was not ideal it was better than it could have been.

"If it was brought in a box that would have been a bit more disconcerting.

"We just had to transfer it to a more secure container and double box it so it would not cause any problems."

A bite from a black widow spider can cause muscle pain and spasms, nausea, vomiting, a coma and even death.

"Statistically the fatality rate is five per cent - the only fatalities occur in older people, very young people or those who do not have as robust an immune system as normal.

"The effects of it can last for up to several weeks after - it is quite a nasty experience," said Mr Rowland.

Now he is searching for somewhere, or someone, to take the spider.

"I have started with the local zoological collections - I have contacted London Zoo.

"I have got quite a few contacts in the zoological world so we should be able to find somewhere for her.

"Wherever she goes they will have to have a dangerous wild animal licence because she is a potentially dangerous animal.

"That is why I am exploring this avenue first and then I will send it out to the general public.

"But that would be both irresponsible and illegal if they do not have a licence. Until that time she will remain here."

http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kentonline/news/2011-1/june/7/deadly_black_widow_found_in_ke.aspx
(Submitted by Neil Arnold)

'Deadly' spider forces Crosby family from home

20 May 2011

A spider found in a bunch of bananas forced a Merseyside family to leave their home after they learnt it could be one the world's most poisonous.

Mandy and Darryl Ryan and their three young children moved out of their house in Crosby for eight days.

Mrs Ryan thought the spider was dead and before it ran off she took a photo of it. The picture showed it could be a deadly Brazilian wandering spider.

The family moved back in after Mr Ryan trapped it in a sandwich box.

He wore protective gloves and used a small mirror to look behind kitchen units at the family home on College Road North.

Pet shop

After setting sticky insect traps, the spider was found alive in the dishwasher.

Mrs Ryan said: "I brought the shopping home and noticed in a little bag of bananas that it was all black.

"It looked like one had rotted, so I opened the bag and the spider was sitting on top.

"I thought it was dead so I took a few photos of it. Then all of a sudden it jumped over my hand.

"I tried to catch it with a glass but it escaped into the dishwasher."

The spider is to be passed on to a pet shop which specialises in spiders and lizards.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-13476690

Australia's deadly redback spiders invade NZealand

Australia's deadly redback spider has established itself in New Zealand, posing a significant risk to humans as it threatens to colonise major cities, researchers have found.


The venomous redback, a relative of the black widow, probably hitched a ride to New Zealand on imported goods from Australia and had established itself at sites on both the North and South Islands, scientists said.

The government's AgResearch institute said in a study published this month that the redback had proved more resilient to New Zealand's cold, wet winters than initially expected.

AgResearch scientist Cor Vink said the spider, named for its distinctive red stripe, threatened endangered native spider and insect populations.

"Having redbacks in New Zealand is also significant to public health because they have the potential to become established in a number of areas that are close to urban populations," he said.

Redbacks are common in Australian cities and Vink said climate modelling showed they had the ability to thrive in New Zealand's urban areas.

The Australian Venom Research Unit's website says at least 14 people have died from redback bites, although there have been no fatalities since an ant-venom was developed in the 1950s.


by Staff Writers

Wellington (AFP) http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Australias_deadly_redback_spiders_invade_NZealand_999.html

Australia's deadly redback spiders invade NZealand

Australia's deadly redback spider has established itself in New Zealand, posing a significant risk to humans as it threatens to colonise major cities, researchers have found.


The venomous redback, a relative of the black widow, probably hitched a ride to New Zealand on imported goods from Australia and had established itself at sites on both the North and South Islands, scientists said.

The government's AgResearch institute said in a study published this month that the redback had proved more resilient to New Zealand's cold, wet winters than initially expected.

AgResearch scientist Cor Vink said the spider, named for its distinctive red stripe, threatened endangered native spider and insect populations.

"Having redbacks in New Zealand is also significant to public health because they have the potential to become established in a number of areas that are close to urban populations," he said.

Redbacks are common in Australian cities and Vink said climate modelling showed they had the ability to thrive in New Zealand's urban areas.

The Australian Venom Research Unit's website says at least 14 people have died from redback bites, although there have been no fatalities since an ant-venom was developed in the 1950s.


by Staff Writers

Wellington (AFP) http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Australias_deadly_redback_spiders_invade_NZealand_999.html