“Summer is funnel web season, so now is the time people will be seeing funnel webs more and more,” the park’s reptile and spider keeper, Jake Meney, said.
There have been 13 deaths from funnel web spiders recorded in Australia. Since the development of the antivenom in 1981, no Australian has died from a funnel web spider bite.
While there are a number of funnel web species across the country, the Sydney funnel web – found along the east coast between Newcastle and the Illawarra region – is the only species known to have a fatal bite. Five other species have caused injury to humans.
Mr Meney said only adults who feel safe to do so should attempt to catch the spiders, which are shiny black to dark brown and can rear up if threatened.
“Please catch the funnel webs [by] using a big glass jar and keeping your hands away from the spider, coax the spider into the jar and bring it to us or one of our drop-off points – you will literally be helping us save lives,” he said.
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Videos of the technique are on the park’s website and YouTube channel.
Once caught, people can take their spiders to a number of drop-off points across Sydney and the Central Coast and Newcastle region.
Sydney drop-off points include Hornsby Hospital, Westmead Hospital, the Hawkesbury City Council offices at Windsor and Sutherland Hospital.
The spiders’ venom is milked at the park before being frozen and sent to Melbourne pharmaceutical company Seqiris.
Once there, the antivenom is developed during a six-month process which involves rabbits being injected with very small amounts of the venom until they develop an immunity. The rabbits’ antibodies are then extracted from its blood to create the antivenom.
Mr Meney said the correct treatment for a funnel web bite was a pressure immobilisation bandage. “And get to hospital as fast as you possibly can,” he added.
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