Idiot spider prank!

[Richard Gallon]

Looks like this sort of prank is getting popular
Daily Telegraph article

The funny thing is the photo in the actual newspaper shows a badly photo-shopped spider with extra red knees (looks like they used a scratty mesomelas male as the base picture)

I think we should be extra vigilent and try to avoid selling spiders to clowns like this. Be very suspicious of people asking to buy "a large Mexican Red Knee" - they might be copy-cats who think this behaviour is funny They should be easy to spot if they are trying to buy them: they won't use scientific names and certainly won't be regular posters on tarantula internet sites.

We can do our bit to prevent these stupid pranks (although we can't do anything to stop them buying spiders from pet shops for this purpose).

Richard

[Mark Pennell]

Re: Idiot spider prank!

Looks like this sort of prank is getting popular
Daily Telegraph article

The funny thing is the photo in the actual newspaper shows a badly photo-shopped spider with extra red knees (looks like they used a scratty mesomelas male as the base picture)

I think we should be extra vigilent and try to avoid selling spiders to clowns like this. Be very suspicious of people asking to buy "a large Mexican Red Knee" - they might be copy-cats who think this behaviour is funny They should be easy to spot if they are trying to buy them: they won't use scientific names and certainly won't be regular posters on tarantula internet sites.

We can do our bit to prevent these stupid pranks (although we can't do anything to stop them buying spiders from pet shops for this purpose).

Richard

Richard
Yet another misguided and misleading article, these things are often faked to help anti's campaign against exotic pets. Remmeber the spate of dwarf caimans found in local ponds..

Also
"Only Mexican red-knees bred in captivity can be sold in Britain, fetching up to £70, as the breed is an endangered species."

I just sold 15 for £50 thats just £3.33 each.... I wish I could get £70 each!

£70 is an expensive prank... and also endangers the tarantula! which concerns me more than anything else.

Regards
MArk

[Layla McInnes]

The Guardian also published an equally misleading article. A few members of another forum emailed them regarding the subject and they corrected some of the info due to the emails

http://www.guardian.co.uk/corrections/story/0,,1803937,00.html

[sarah Smith]

looks like it might be time to yell at the telegraph as well althogh they do seem to have their facts a little more acurate. This is the one I tried to rescuse by the way Mark hope shes doing ok whever she is now.