Sussex Zoo Offers Arachnophobia Course As Spider Season Comes Early

You may have noticed recently, whilst hiding inside from the recent downpours, that an influx of eight-legged creatures is upon us.

For the wet-but-warm weather combo might not be our ideal, but is perfect for spiders, bringing ‘spider season’ even earlier this year.

Spider experts Ray and Angela Hale, of the British Tarantula Society, offer their insights into this often-feared time of year and what we can do to feel more comfortable living alongside these much-maligned creatures.

Ray commented:

“At this time of year we are often asked, why do we see more spiders and why are they so big? Well this year we had quite a warm but very wet summer causing the humidity to rise. This allows the flying insects such as mosquitos to increase and breed like crazy. In turn, this means that spiders have a rich and plentiful source of food available and so they are thriving – but they are actually trying to help us out with those annoying critters.”

“We know a lot of people live in fear, but there is no good reason to be afraid of spiders. The vast majority of the world’s spiders are harmless and there are no dangerous spiders in the UK. Even the big spiders such as tarantulas don’t want to hurt you. They are very docile and quite friendly if you give them a chance.”

At Drusillas Zoo Park in Sussex however, it's an exciting time of year, as Angela (lovingly known as “Tarangela”) and Ray are preparing to deliver a number of unusual, life-changing courses that confront spider phobia and can cure someone of their fear once and for all.

“At Drusilla’s we have run a Spider Phobia course for the last nine years and we have had a 100% success rate, using our patience and expertise to educate people. We have had participants safely and happily holding tarantulas and false widow spiders with no problems at all. This year’s courses take place on 2nd and 3rd September, 23rd September and 7th October.”

Angela spends her time finding and identifying our native eight-legged friends and she even boasts a collection of over 100 spiders at home in her spare bedroom!

Angela commented:

“Even as a child I loved spiders. They have fascinated me for over thirty years. Something some people find strange is that I’m a woman. They are often surprised and ask if I go on expeditions to Borneo with my husband and do I look for spiders? The truth is that I lead the expeditions and I’m often the first one into a cave or a rainforest to find them. I have found a number of new species and cannot wait to get back out there”

Angela continued:

“Here in the UK we have over 800 different types of spiders, none of which are dangerous to humans. On the contrary, spiders are extremely helpful and harmless creatures, but despite this fact, they instil fear in many and have a terrible reputation. People don’t always realise these little wonders consume countless crop-destroying, disease-carrying insects annually, saving both livelihoods and lives."

However, millions of perfectly rational people have an irrational fear. But do spiders deserve such a wicked reputation? Drusillas want to change that and to assist the arachnophobe to overcome their fears.

Throughout the day participants will learn all about spider biology and behaviour, be taught how to face their fears, and even handle some new spider friends. The day is managed under very calm, controlled conditions, and with experts on hand at all times.

Angela Hale continued:

“We’ve held many spider phobia courses in the past and we see such wonderful results; everyone that attends leaves their phobia at the door and goes home feeling much more confident and less afraid. One of our participants from last year even went on to get a pet tarantula!”

The courses will run on various dates between September and October at Drusillas Zoo Park. To find out more, visit www.drusillas.co.uk/spider-phobia-course