Latest news with #EmmaTeni
BBC News
16-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
The poison paradox: How Australia's deadliest animals save lives
With a pair of bright pink tweezers in hand, Emma Teni is delicately wrestling a large and leggy spider in a small plastic pot."He's posing," the spider-keeper jests as it rears up on its back legs. It is exactly what she's trying to achieve - that way she can suck the venom from its fangs using a small works from a tiny office known as the spider milking room. On a typical day, she milks - or extracts the venom from - 80 of these Sydney funnel-web three of the four walls there are floor-to-ceiling shelves stacked full of the arachnids, with a black curtain pulled across to keep them remaining wall is actually a window. Through it, a small child stares, both fascinated and horrified, as Ms Teni works. Little do they know that the palm-sized spider she's handling could kill them in a matter of minutes."Sydney funnel-webs are arguably the most deadly spider in the world," Emma says is famously full of such deadly animals - and this room at the Australian Reptile Park plays a critical part in a government antivenom programme, which saves lives on a continent where it's often joked that everything wants to kill you. 'Spider girl' While the quickest recorded death from a Sydney funnel-web spider was a toddler at 13 minutes, the average is closer to 76 minutes - and first aid gives you an even better chance of successful is the antivenom programme here at the Australian Reptile Park that nobody has been killed by one since it started in scheme relies, however, on members of the public either catching the spiders or collecting their egg a van plastered with a giant crocodile sticker, each week Ms Teni's team drives all over Australia's most famous city, picking up Sydney funnel-webs that have been handed in at drop-off points such as local veterinary practices. There are two reasons why these spiders are so dangerous, she explains: not only is their venom extremely potent, but they also live exclusively in a densely populated region where they're more likely to encounter Charlie Simpson is one such person. He moved into his first home with his girlfriend a few months ago, and the keen gardener has already found two Sydney funnel-webs. He took the second spider to the vet, where Ms Teni picked it up shortly after."I had gloves on at the time, but realistically I should have had leather gloves on because their fangs are so big and strong," the 26-year-old says."I [just thought] I had better catch it because I kept getting told you're meant to take them back to be milked, because it's so critical.""This is curing my fear of spiders," he Ms Teni offloads one arachnid that was delivered to her in a Vegemite jar, she stresses her team isn't telling Australians to go looking for the spiders and "throw themselves into danger". Rather, they're asking that if someone comes across one, they safely capture it rather than kill it."Saying that this is the world's most deadly spider and then [asking the public to] catch it and bring it to us does sound counter-intuitive," she says."[But] that spider there now, thanks to Charlie, will… effectively save someone's life." All of the spiders her team collects get brought back to the Australian Reptile Park where they are catalogued, sorted by sex and females that get dropped off are considered for a breeding programme, which helps supplement the number of spiders donated by the the males, which are six to seven times more toxic than the females, are used for the antivenom programme and milked every two weeks, Emma pipette she uses to remove the venom from the fangs is attached to a suction hose - crucial for collecting as much venom as possible, since each spider provides only small amounts. While a few drops is enough to kill, scientists need to milk 200 of these spiders to have enough to fill one vial of antivenom.A marine biologist by training, Emma never expected to spend her days milking spiders. In fact, she started off working with now she wouldn't have it any other way. Emma loves all things arachnid, and goes under various nicknames - spider girl, spider mama, even "weirdo", as her daughter calls her. Friends, family and neighbours rely on her for her knowledge of Australia's creepy crawlies."Some girls arrive home to flowers on their doorstep," jokes Emma. "For me it's not unusual to arrive home to a spider in a jar." The best place to be bitten? Spiders represent just one small part of what the Australian Reptile Park does. It's also been providing snake venom to the government since the to the World Health Organisation, as many as 140,000 people die across the world from snake bites every year, and three times that many are left Australia though, those numbers are far lower: between one and four people each year, thanks to its successful antivenom a King Brown snake from its storage locker, Billy Collett, the park's operations manager, brings it to the table in front of him. With his bare hands, he secures its head and puts its jaws over a shot glass covered in cling film. "They are very uninclined to bite but once they go, you just see it pouring out of the fangs," Mr Collett says, as yellow venom drips to the bottom."That is enough to kill all of us in the room five times over - maybe more."Then he switches to a more reassuring tone: "They're not looking for people to bite. We're too big for them to eat; they don't want to waste their venom on us. They just want to be left alone.""To get bitten by a venomous snake, you've got to really annoy it, provoke it," he adds, noting that bites often occur when someone is trying to kill one of the a fridge in the corner of the room where the raw venom Mr Collett is collecting is stored. It's full of vials labelled "Death Adder", "Taipan", "Tiger Snake" and "Eastern Brown". The last of these is the second-most venomous snake in the world, and the one that's most likely to bite you here, in Australia. This venom gets freeze-dried and sent to CSL Seqirus, a lab in Melbourne, where it's turned into an antidote in a process that can take up to 18 first step is to produce what's known as hyper-immune plasma. In the case of snakes, controlled doses of the venom are injected into horses, because they are larger animals with a strong immune system. The venom of Sydney funnel-web spiders goes into rabbits, which are immune to the toxins. The animals are injected with increasing doses to build up their antibodies. In some cases, that step alone can take almost a animal's supercharged plasma is removed from the blood, and then the antibodies are isolated from the plasma before they're bottled, ready to be Seqirus makes 7,000 vials a year – including snake, spider, stonefish and box jellyfish antivenoms - and they are valid for 36 months. The challenge then is to ensure everyone who needs it has supplies."It's an enormous undertaking," says Dr Jules Bayliss, who leads the antivenom development team at CSL Seqirus. "First and foremost we want to see them in major rural and remote areas that these creatures are likely to be in."Vials are distributed depending on the species in each area. Taipans, for example, are in northern parts of Australia, so there's no need for their antivenom in Tasmania. Antivenom is also given to the Royal Flying Doctors, who access some of the nation's most remote communities, as well as Australian navy and cargo ships for sailors at risk of sea snake bites. Papua New Guinea also receives about 600 vials a year. The country was once connected to Australia by a land bridge, and shares many of the same snake species, so the Australian government gives the antivenom for free – snake diplomacy, if you like."To be honest, we probably have the most impact in Papua New Guinea, more so than Australia, because of the number of snake bites and deaths they have," says CSL Seqirus executive Chris Larkin. To date, they reckon they've saved 2,000 at the park, Mr Collett jokes about the nickname of "danger noodles" that is sometimes given to his serpentine colleagues – a classic Australian trait of making light of something that gives so many visitors Collett, though, is clear: these animals should not put people off from visiting."Snakes aren't just cruising down the streets attacking Brits - it doesn't work like that," he jokes."If you're going to get bitten by a snake, Australia's the best place – we've got the best antivenom. It's free. The treatment is unreal."
Time of India
25-04-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Why are Australians being told to catch one of the world's most dangerous spiders?
What could be hiding in the shadowy corners of Australian homes and gardens is one of the world's most feared spiders, the funnel-web spider. These spiders are enough to make even the bravest among us flinch with their glossy black bodies and powerful fangs, but as terrifying as they may seem, the Sydney funnel-web spider plays a surprising and important role in saving lives. Every year, residents are encouraged to save these spiders and the reason might surprise you. While it may sound eerie to willingly coexist with a potentially dangerous creature often found hiding in shoes or garden debris, this unusual request serves a greater purpose. Far from being just another creepy crawly, this spider plays a vital role in the local ecosystem, and preserving it is part of a larger conservation effort. These spiders may look intimidating, but they have the potential to save lives. Their venom is crucial for producing life-saving antivenom, especially during the peak of their breeding season when donations are most needed. What many perceive as a creepy creature lurking in the shadows is, in fact, one of Australia's unexpected and unsung heroes. The deadly venom that this spider injects into its victims also saves lives! Find out how! by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Invest $200 in Amazon without buying stocks to earn a second salary Marketsall Sign Up Undo What is expected of the residents? Every November, as funnel-web spider breeding season kicks off in Australia, the Australian Reptile Park in New South Wales issues a unique and urgent call to action. Rather than squash or flee from these deadly arachnids, the public is asked to capture and donate them for a good cause. This venom has a shocking benefit! The venom from Sydney funnel-web spiders, considered among the most dangerous in the world, but at the same time, it is the key ingredient of life-saving antivenom. Before the antivenom's development in 1981, funnel-web bites caused 13 recorded deaths. Since the advent of the antivenom program, no fatalities have occurred. Who produces the antivenom for these deadly bites? The park is the only facility in Australia that produces funnel-web antivenom, and it relies on spider donations to meet growing demand. 'With breeding season upon us and the weather creating ideal conditions, we rely on spider donations more than ever,' said Emma Teni, spider keeper at the Australian Reptile Park, in a public statement. 'Male Funnel-web spiders have short lifespans, and with approximately 150 spiders required to make just one vial of antivenom, we need the public's help to ensure we have enough venom to meet demand.' How to collect these spiders? To collect the spiders safely, Teni recommends using a long-handled spoon to gently coax the spider and ideally her egg sac into a container. 'We want to encourage the spider with her egg sac into the jar in one movement, trying not to make her so angry that she destroys the egg sac,' Teni explains in a demonstration video posted to the park's social media platforms. Each egg sac can contain 150 to 200 spiderlings, a potential treasure trove of venom for future antivenom. Where are these spiders found? Funnel-web spiders are typically found in cool, damp environments like gardens, woodpiles, and under logs, but they can also creep into homes, shoes, laundry, and swimming pools. Once collected, spiders can be dropped off at designated collection points or directly at the park.
The Independent
27-02-2025
- Health
- The Independent
‘Now more than ever': The life-saving reason behind an Australian zoo's plea for deadly spider donations
An Australian zoo is urging the public to catch and donate the world's deadliest spiders to support its lifesaving antivenom programme. The Australian Reptile Park in Sydney says this has been a 'very slow' funnel-web season so far but a spike in the numbers of the highly venomous spiders is expected in the coming months. Due to the slow season, the park needs more male funnel-web spiders whose venom is essential for antivenom production. Spider keeper Emma Teni said the zoo needs the public's help 'now more than ever'. 'We haven't seen as many out and about and we've had fewer handed in for our lifesaving antivenom programme here at the Australian Reptile Park,' she was quoted as saying by local media. 'This autumn is predicted to have high humidity and higher rainfall, which is the perfect condition to have our funnel-web spiders wandering about.' The male Sydney funnel-web spider is the world's most venomous, but no deaths have occurred since the Australian Reptile Park's antivenom programme began in 1981. The programme houses over 2,000 spiders, but only males are milked for their deadly yet lifesaving venom. 'They have this special toxin, which is absolutely deadly and vital for our life saving programme,' Ms Teni said. The park provides safe collection guidelines and accepts spider egg sacs as well. 'Naturally, these spiders, once they reach maturity, only have a lifespan of about one year,' she said. 'Plus, it takes about 50 to 200 milkings of funnel-web spiders to create one vial of antivenom.' After being milked at the reptile park, funnel-web spider venom is frozen and sent to Seqiris in Melbourne, according to the park's website. There, rabbits are gradually exposed to increasing amounts of venom over six months until they can tolerate six times the lethal dose. Their blood is then drawn and spun in a centrifuge to extract antibodies, which are used to produce the antivenom. Funnel-web spiders are found across southeastern Australia, including Tasmania, but only certain species in eastern New South Wales and southeast Queensland are dangerous to humans. The Sydney funnel-web spider, primarily found in the Sydney region, extending north to Newcastle and south to the Illawarra, is the only confirmed deadly species. 'Grab a smooth jar and a long-handled spoon, gently place a jar in front of the spider and encourage it to walk into the jar using the spoon,' Ms Teni said about collecting funnel web spiders. 'Place a little bit of moisture, either soil or a wet cotton bud, in the jar and safely secure the lid. 'You can then drop that spider to us here at the Australian Reptile Park or one of our drop-off locations, which you can find on our website.'
