SYDNEY, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- Australia's most dangerous species of spider, the Sydney funnel-web, has appeared in high numbers earlier in the year than usual, due to a period of unseasonably wet and warm weather.
In a statement on Friday, the Australian Reptile Park warned of the early emergence of the spiders and called for residents not to kill the arachnids, but carefully catch them and hand them in for milking.
The Australian Reptile Park is the only place in the world which milks funnel webs for the creation of antivenom, and since 1981 when they started doing so there hasn't been a single death attributed to the species.
"We're encouraging residents to not kill funnel-web spiders that they come across but rather follow our safety guidelines on-line to capture the spider, and hand them in at the park or a participating drop-off centres," The Australian Reptile Park said in the statement.
"By doing so, we're all saving Australia's lives together!"
