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Anne-Sophie Cappio (Veterinarian)
A resident of Eure had the unpleasant surprise of finding himself face to face with a tarantula in his garden. What is the right attitude to adopt if this happens to you? Doctissimo gathered advice from Anne Sophie Cappio, veterinarian at Moving Vet, near Dijon.
It was an unpleasant surprise that Sébastien, living in the Eure department, had in his garden on November 14. As he tells our colleagues from Paris-Normandy, he found himself faced with a tarantula, having taken up residence in his garden. If this happens to you, what should you do? Here are the tips from Anne Sophie Cappio, veterinarian at Moving Vet, near Dijon.
A tarantula the size of his hand
The man recounts his encounter with the arachnid. “I got confused. So I took a bamboo stake and touched her to see if she was alive. She moved her legs.” he explains. While accidentally coming across a tarantula may be surprising, it is not necessarily a dangerous situation.
Veterinarian Anne Sophie Cappio even wants to be reassuring: “On the one hand, it is rare to encounter a tarantula in your garden or home, although it is not impossible. But rest assured, only a few species living in Australia are fatal to humans: there is little chance of crossing their path. And in the event of a sting, the risk would not be fatal, but not very pleasant: the venom sometimes causes partial paralysis“.
Don’t touch her or run away
There is little chance of coming across a tarantula around a rose bush, but if this happens to you, the veterinarian advises not to panic, nor try to capture or, on the contrary, scare the animal away. “Do not touch it, as it may leak. Even if it moves slowly, it might escape you” she warns. So there’s no need to wear gloves to touch her or try to lock her in a box. “On the other hand, you must take photos and film the spider, as far as possible, in order to identify the species to which it belongs. advises the NAC specialist, new pets.
Call the fire department
Then, the only course of action is to call the firefighters, who will know what to do to recover the spider and entrust it to specialists who will know how to take care of it, within a center specializing in exotic animals or with an arachnophile association.