A zoo is actively seeking more donations of what is the stuff of most people’s nightmares so that it can instead save n lives.
Spider handlers at the n Reptile Zoo, on NSW’s Central Coast, have urged members of the public to continue to carefully collect and send in egg sacs containing hundreds of infant funnel-web spiders.
Footage released by the park shows one of the sacs – donated by a member of the public – being opened before more than 100 tiny spiders escape from the carefully-crafted nest.
The zoo will provide a home for the infant arachnids until they become large enough to be milked for their venom.
The venom will then be used by experts at the zoo’s antivenom program to create an antidote for those unfortunate enough to be bitten by a funnel-web.
Despite only growing to between one and five centimetres long, one bite from a funnel-web spider can kill a person in just 15 minutes if they don’t seek immediate help.
It contains a chemical called Robustoxin which shuts down the nervous system of monkeys and humans but not of other mammals.
The spider is believed to have evolved the venom in order to deter lizards, birds and rats, with the effect on humans thought to be an unfortunate coincidence.
The park’s spider keeper, Emma Teni, described the sacs as ‘absolute gold to us’ due to the inordinate amount of spiders needed to create one dose of antivenom.
About 120 male spiders are milked each week at the program, with the venom from about 150 individual spiders needed to create just one vial of life-saving antivenom.
Given the spider’s year-long life span, the zoo is constantly in need of more spiders to keep up with demand for the antivenom.
The reptile park’s director, Liz Gabriel, said that if a member of the public identifies a sac that they should know the first-aid protocols if they wish to donate it.
‘During the collection of funnel-web spiders or their egg sacs, it’s important to wear enclosed shoes and use a long-handled spoon to maintain a safe distance between yourself and the spider at all times,’ she said, according to 9News.
‘The spider or egg sac can then be carefully guided into a large jar with a lid and brought into the n Reptile Park or your nearest drop-off location.’
The n Reptile Park has shown off a funnel-web spider sac (pictured) donated by a member of the public in an effort to encourage more donations
The male spiders (stock image) will be milked for their extremely toxic venom when mature to help create antivenom to save the lives of those unfortunate enough to be bitten
As the mercury peaks between January and March so does the spider’s activity levels and the potency of its venom, leading to more potentially deadly interactions with humans.
Residents along the NSW coast from Newcastle to Sydney’s northern beaches and as far west as Lithgow have been urged to keep an eye out for the spider’s as they look for cooler habitats.
The spider can be identified by its shiny black body, large fangs and red abdomen which can be seen when rearing up on its hind legs to warn of an imminent attack.
The park’s creation of the antivenom in 1981 marked the last recorded death from a funnel-web bite.
Prior to that there had been 13 cases of deaths from funnel-web bite in n history.
However, in 2019 the park was forced to start breeding the species on-site due to donation shortages and hospitals and vets around Sydney accepting doses of antivenom.