New home found for tarantula abandoned on city street
A bird-eating tarantula thought to be an unwanted pet has been abandoned on a city street in the UK.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals expressed concern that the salmon pink Brazilian spider, described as being the size of a hand, was left in a plastic box on Leicester's Narborough Road last Friday.
RSPCA animal collection officer Steve Smith said of the find: "The member of the public who contacted us was understandably shaken by the size of the spider.
"We are concerned that someone abandoned a spider in the street like this, these tarantulas live in a warm and humid environment in the wild and need the same provided in captivity."
The spider, thought to be the third largest species of tarantula, has now been taken on by a specialist exotics keeper.
Mr Smith added: "Luckily we have found someone who has taken the spider on, so the spider will now live the rest of their life being looked after properly.
"We would recommend that anyone interested in keeping a tarantula as a pet thoroughly research the particular species' needs carefully first before deciding to get one, so they know what is involved and how long it is likely to be for."
