It takes between 150 and 200 venom extractions to produce a single vial of antivenom. - Photo: Reuters
NEW SOUTH WALES, (Australia): An Australian zoo has put out an unusual but urgent appeal for public donations of funnel-web spiders, one of the world’s most venomous arachnids.
The Australian Reptile Park on Tuesday (Feb 25) called for residents to collect the species, mainly found on the continent’s east coast, adding that every specimen is crucial for the production of lifesaving antivenom.
Feared for their notoriously toxic and fast-acting venom, funnel-web spiders are capable of killing a human in 15 minutes.
While there are 13 recorded deaths from their bites, no one is thought to have died since the development of antivenom in the 1980s, according to the University of Melborne’s School of Biomedical Sciences.
In a video on the zoo’s Facebook page, spider keeper Emma Teni said fewer-than-normal spiders have been deposited at the park, which houses the country’s sole facility collecting venom for the antivenom programme.
“Every spider received could be the one that saves a life,” Teni said.
“The venom programme relies entirely on public donations, and without them, the production of antivenom—which has saved countless Australians—would not be possible.”
Only male funnel-webs are milked for their venom, as their venom is about six times more toxic than females, according to Australian media outlet ABC.
It takes between 150 and 200 venom extractions to produce a single vial of antivenom.
Teni said high humidity and high rainfall during autumn, which starts in March, create the perfect conditions for the spiders to emerge.
She advised members of the public who encounter a funnel-web spider to capture it carefully by coaxing the creature into a jar using a spoon with a long handle.
The jar should be lined with soil or cotton before being sealed and delivered to the zoo or one of the park’s designated drop-off points.
Once funnel-web spiders reach their maturity, they only have a life span of about a year, which means that the park relies on the constant donation of spiders to ensure enough venom for the programme, according to Teni.
In January, Australian scientists announced the discovery of a bigger, more venomous species of the funnel-web spider.
The new funnel-web species dubbed Big Boy was first discovered in the early 2000s by Kane Christensen, the former head of spiders at the Australian Reptile Park. - The Straits Times/ANN
