Australia zoo urges people to catch deadly spiders as antidote runs low
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SYDNEY - An Australian zookeeper on Tuesday urged people to catch and donate deadly funnel-web spiders, to help replenish stocks of antidote running low after a spate of spider bites.
The Australian Reptile Park, the country's sole supplier of funnel-web venom to antidote producers since 1981, relies on the public to hand in spiders that are milked for the venom used to produce an antidote.
The anti-venom program was now at risk after too few spiders were donated last year and a recent heatwave encouraged more spider activity and bites, the park's general manager, Tim Faulkner, said on Tuesday.
"We rely on community support to keep this program alive," Faulkner said in a telephone interview.
