Big Hairy Spiders Abandoned at Airport

[woody]

Just noticed this on the Yahoo newspage and thought I'd post it. Sucks that so many of them died. On another note...I thought tarantulas lived much longer than the article says (well the females anyway).

Big Hairy Spiders Abandoned at Airport
Fri Aug 15,10:31 AM ET

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Customs officials found 500 Chilean tarantulas at Mexico City's international airport, abandoned after the owner of the spiders failed to complete import paperwork.

The environment ministry said 135 of the Chilean Rose tarantulas died. Of those that survived, 20 have been donated to the capital city's Chapultepec zoo and the rest transferred to a wildlife center run by the ministry.

The Chilean Rose tarantula gets its name from its rusty red and pink hairs. They average under three inches in length and live between six and 11 years.

Tarantulas are popular as pets but their bite can cause pain comparable with a bee sting or, in some species, possible death.