Australians asked to collect, donate dangerous spiders for antivenom programme

Sydney, Feb 26 (IANS) An Australian zoo on Wednesday urgently asked members of the public for more donations of one of the world's most venomous spiders for its antivenom programme.

The Australian Reptile Park on the outskirts of the city of Gosford, about 50 km north of Sydney, asked the public to collect and donate funnel-web spiders.

In a video posted on social media, spider keeper at the zoo Emma Tenti said that it has been a slower than usual funnel-web season and that fewer spiders have been handed in for the zoo's lifesaving antivenom programme.

Tenti said that high humidity and high rainfall across Sydney in autumn, which starts on Saturday, would be perfect conditions for the spiders.

Native to Australia, the funnel-web spider is found almost exclusively on the country's east coast and is among the most venomous spiders in the world.

Tenti said that no fatal funnel-web spider bites have been reported since the antivenom was developed in 1981.

"We're the only place in Australia that collects venom for the antivenom program," she said.

"Every spider received could be the one that saves a life. The venom programme relies entirely on public donations of these spiders, and without them, the production of antivenom, which has saved countless Australians, would not be possible," Tenti said.

Only male funnel-webs are milked for the antivenom programme and Tenti said that it takes 150-200 milkings to create one vial of antivenom.

Anyone who encounters a funnel-web spider has been asked to collect it by coaxing it into a jar with a long spoon and filling the jar with moist soil or cotton before sealing it and handing it in at one of several of the zoo's donation points.

The Australian Reptile Park is the sole provider of raw venom to produce antivenom for Australian terrestrial venomous snakes.

Acting as pioneers, the Australian Reptile Park played a vital role the development of life-saving snake and spider antivenom.

Since then, over 25,000 lives have been saved thanks to the venom programme.