"banana spider" bite report on BBC

[Malkavian]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/4582074.stm


Would be nice if they hadnt plastered up a harmless Brachy along with the article.:wall:

[stonemantis]

That is a sad media frenzy. I mean the banana spider is a totally different genre all together. Brachys aren't even arboreal at that. If I thought that a T was dangerous(Which I don't) then I wouldn't want to be handling it. I would just leave it be out of respect for the T.

[Cirith Ungol]

Mr Jones said the pensioner had been bitten twice while he slept but had he had not initially connected it with the spider.

Ah yes, the evil night-biter-spiders!! *----* if they have nothing else to report on than such BS they should consider shutting their news service down.

Surprised that the BBC with all it's normally rather accurate info does so crappy work!

[Kid Dragon]

Sweet, I'm moving to Newport! Where else can you buy bananas and get a free B. smithi?

[rodillablanco]

Heck, with all the real dangers in this world, I think the BBC just wanted to bring the fear down to a more personal level. Now it's safe to be afraid of fresh fruit. And now it's also safe to print poorly researched sensationalized news (wait! that's been safe for quite awhile). Maybe it's just a thinly veiled plea to Rupert Murdoch to buy the BBC and get on with FOX news' control of all media. Who needs reality? It just gets in the way of the economy.

[psionix]

"A tarantula-like spider which has been biting an elderly man in his sleep has been in his house for several weeks"

"The man subsequently suffered two bites. "

^anybody else see the spin there? :evil:

[Crotalus]

I dont think the article is suppose to be a horror history or something like that. It happens that spiders comes in with the banana shipments and end up in stores and this time in the customers home. If its the infamous Phoneutria or not - who knows but might be. Could also be a harmless huntsman offcourse.

/Lelle

[edesign]

if he's been bitten that many times by a Phoneutria I think he would've bombed the place by now...but maybe not.

[Tony]

Heck, with all the real dangers in this world, I think the BBC just wanted to bring the fear down to a more personal level. Now it's safe to be afraid of fresh fruit. And now it's also safe to print poorly researched sensationalized news (wait! that's been safe for quite awhile). Maybe it's just a thinly veiled plea to Rupert Murdoch to buy the BBC and get on with FOX news' control of all media. Who needs reality? It just gets in the way of the economy.

Nice political Segue !!
Though 5 years of annualized GDP growth mean nothing, not to mention one rightwing station floating amongst the left wing stations means nothing.....Dan rather anyone?
;P

[Scorp guy]

why was the harmless smithi doing in the pic? wth, for all they know the old fart could have a damn pine needle stuck in his leg.i hold my B. smithi and have no troubles, i doubt it would walk up and bite something.

[Ryan_White]

As a guy said in this thread there is a spin.. the article said a 'tarantula-like' spider had bitten him, I'm going with a large huntsman because they climb walls, this still sounds very odd.
B.smithis are large bodied tarantulas and cannot climb walls lol.. and I handle mine indefinatly, its just there because its well-known to the public.
The author couldn't get a picture of the actual animal so he picks one of the most docile and handleable t's. :mad:

The B.Smithi being pictured there is an attempt to frame it, to give people a healthy fear of T's... why else.
Stuff like this gives T's a bad name.

I personally found that article completely mornic and without competence furthermore they did not provide a picture of the actual spider.

Stuff like this really 'grinds my gears' (haha family guy referance).

-Edit- Omg they did it again.. :wall:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_west/4504060.stm

[Ryan_White]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1555039.stm - hmm heres an interesting one :P.. I live in the UK, not a great deal of interesting spiders here.

[Ewok]

I don't really think it is a horror story either, although I wonder why he had the police come to his house for a spider problem?:confused:

[smof]

From this one - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_west/4504060.stm
"No-one has come forward to claim the tarantula and it has led to calls for stricter rules on people keeping exotic animals."

:wall:

Calls from who, they don't rush to specify :rolleyes: