ugc_banner

Australia warned of deadly spider 'plague' after floods

WION Web Team
Sydney, AustraliaUpdated: Mar 24, 2021, 08:27 AM IST
main img
Representative image Photograph:(WION Web Team)

Story highlights

Residents welcomed sunshine on Wednesday after days of rainfall, only to receive an "urgent warning" to brace for an influx of the deadly funnel-web spider, which is endemic to the Sydney region.

The Australian Reptile Park Wednesday warned deadly arachnids could seek refuge in homes as they escape the deluge after torrential rain and flooding in Sydney, triggering a "plague" of the world's most venomous spiders.

Relentless downpours have caused vast flooding in New South Wales state, with parts of suburban northwest Sydney still under water.

Residents welcomed sunshine on Wednesday after days of rainfall, only to receive an "urgent warning" to brace for an influx of the deadly funnel-web spider, which is endemic to the Sydney region.

"The upcoming warm weather and high levels of humidity is the perfect storm for a funnel-web spider boom in coming days," park director Tim Faulkner said in a statement.

Sydney funnel-webs are widely feared for their notoriously toxic and fast-acting venom, with 13 recorded deaths from bites. Images of thousands of spiders escaping floodwaters have already gone viral on social media in recent days.

No one is, however, believed to have died since an anti-venom programme was introduced in the early 1980s.