Another bit of appauling Media hype......

[Mark Pajak]

Some one brought this article to my attention at work today....

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1049755/Spider-kills-pet-dog-paratrooper-accidentally-brings-home-Afghanistan.html

hmmmmm...... Do people actually believe this stuff or is this harmless fun?

[Colin D Wilson]

at least they put some actual facts in the story for a change.

The story in general is total gloryfied media hype though

[Mark Pajak]

Facts including both:

"...in fact they have no venom."

and by an officer of the Dangerous and Wild Animals Rescue Facility in Essex:

".....It is venomous but would not kill you"

[Mark Pennell]

Well just did a radio interview about this and you'll be please to know that both myself and someone from Sheffield Uni put them right on the subject.

Cheers
Mark

[michaelmckinney]

OMG!!!! Well there you have it ladies and gents. A lovely little story and a bit of background, on the only arachnid known to man........... that has a taste for the occastional Collie. Thats exactly what that is, pure media hype. It's like they're saying, "Not only does Afghanistan have the Taliban and Osama Bin Laden, but they also have an Arachnid that will hitch a ride home and eat your dogs!!!!" My God, please tell me that was a joke article.

Michael.

[Lee_Ross]

someone from bts who lives near should go around and capture it free of charge, i know it's not a tarantula but still would be a shame to kill it !.

[Alexander Ramsey]

missing the point?

I'm thinking of getting shut of a load of old kak in my house to make way for a couple of new Ts (tiger rump / earth tiger?) not made my mind up yet.
Anyway should any military (or other) people wish to fetch one of these beauties home with them (intentionally or otherwise), and not want it, I would be more than happy to accomodate it!!!

I can't believe the media make such a song and dance about that, when my juvy lividum caught and ate a cricket that was nearly bigger than it was!!

Anyway, isn't this the entire reason that 80% of people will pull a face when you tell them you own a T nevermind several?

We weren't born with the fear of spiders! Somebody taught us!!

[Lee_Ross]

lol seconded...

i just got a link over on AP about the same story but on yahoo.. from the writeup i found this other link to a bloody news video lol

even ITN are at it :P

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/itn/20080828/video/vuk-family-in-afghan-spider-scare-49bfa63.html

[Craig Mackay]

OMG!!!! Well there you have it ladies and gents. A lovely little story and a bit of background, on the only arachnid known to man........... that has a taste for the occastional Collie. Thats exactly what that is, pure media hype. It's like they're saying, "Not only does Afghanistan have the Taliban and Osama Bin Laden, but they also have an Arachnid that will hitch a ride home and eat your dogs!!!!" My God, please tell me that was a joke article.

Michael.

Haha! Terrorist spiders! What will they think of next?

I had people at work today telling me they were scared incase it came up here to Scotland! That would be a good 50 hours of constant running, lol!
I had the (dis)pleasure of reading it in The Sun which was pretty amusing and made for an angry lunchtime rant.

[Lisa Baines]

It was all the talk at the hairdressers today. Then i mentioned that we keep and breed spiders and the such. Several gasps!!!!

Said that i was pretty sure the bite would hurt but was pretty sure it wasn't venomous.

Then came the stories of 'big' house spiders that they thought were attacking them at some point in the past... rolled eyes a few times.

Im sooo glad my kids are growing up with a variety of tarantula's n scorps and have a proper arachnid education... If they saw the camel spider they would have probably caught it and asked to keep it as a pet.
I love my kids hehehehe!

[Ray Gabriel]

What a load of male reproductive organs,

Ray

[Lee_Ross]

What a load of male reproductive organs,

Ray

Pedipalps ?? - i don't get it

lol

[Lisa Baines]

^^^

***fallen off the chair rofl***

[michaelmckinney]

Well done Lisa,

Having a family, that is getting raised with a proper arachnid education. My kids will be the same (when they're born LOL!!), even though my girlfriend isn't a big spider fan, she wouldn't even think about killing one in the house now LOL!!!

Michael.

[Lisa Baines]

we often have several of the kids in the flats come around to have a look at all the animals. And its surprising how their attitude changes about big hairy spiders, from being outright scared to realising actually, they're not so bad! We take the lids off the enclosures to show them and they're like... WOW!

Several of them have gotten over their fear of snakes and now handle our des mex kingsnake. Just shows what a gentle nudge in the right direction can do