Man fined for importing tarantulas

An Auckland spider enthusiast has been fined a total of $4630 for trying to import seven previously unknown orange tarantulas from the Philippines.

Robert Featherstone, a self employed aquarium and pool designer, was sentenced in Manukau District Court last week after earlier admitting illegally importing spiders, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) said today.

Judge Gus Andree Wiltens fin ed Featherstone $4000 and ordered him to pay investigation and court costs of $630. The maximum fine under the Biosecurity Act is $100,000 or five years in prison.

A package containing seven live, juvenile spiders, each one orange in colour and secured in polystyrene, arrived from the Philippines on November 8, 2007, and was intercepted at an Auckland mail room by MAF Biosecurity New Zealand officials.

It was described as a gift on declaration forms and addressed to Featherstone's home address.

Experts confirmed the spiders were a new species belonging to the tarantula family and unidentified previously in any part of the world.

The spiders were euthanised and sent to the Queensland Museum for further study.

Featherstone was described as having a keen interest in the trading and breeding of exotic pets. When interviewed, he admitted spiders were his hobby and passion and that he was planning on keeping them as pets.

He knew he couldn't buy tarantulas in New Zealand so had ordered them from the Philippines and instructed them to be labelled as "gift" in an attempt to avoid customs duty.

Tarantula hairs can pierce human skin and contain a toxin that can cause a serious skin rash, an allergic reaction, and possibly even anaphylactic shock.

"Had the spiders got loose or been released in the local environment there would have been a danger to the native flora and fauna of New Zealand. The biggest tarantulas can kill animals as large as lizards and birds," said MAF investigations manager Greg Reid.

The spiders could also have hurt humans and damaged New Zealand's multi-billion dollar tourism industry, he said.

- NZPA