Very handsome, indeed!

When I was young I was taught, by example, to be afraid of spiders and to kill them whenever possible. It saddens me to think of all the innocent spiders who perished by suffocation in my vacuum cleaner bags or by being crushed in a tissue and flushed down the toilet. Happily, through education and personal observation I was re-taught to value these creatures for not only their inherent worth, but also for their beauty and their vital role in the web of life.

Many years ago I took on the challenge (for me) of caring for a South American rosy-haired tarantula, that I (imaginatively) named Rosy. After several stages of desensitization to overcome my fears I was...

Very handsome, indeed!

When I was young I was taught, by example, to be afraid of spiders and to kill them whenever possible. It saddens me to think of all the innocent spiders who perished by suffocation in my vacuum cleaner bags or by being crushed in a tissue and flushed down the toilet. Happily, through education and personal observation I was re-taught to value these creatures for not only their inherent worth, but also for their beauty and their vital role in the web of life.

Many years ago I took on the challenge (for me) of caring for a South American rosy-haired tarantula, that I (imaginatively) named Rosy. After several stages of desensitization to overcome my fears I was able to gently stroke her bristly back and legs. I never progressed to holding Rosy in my hand or allowing her to walk on my arm, although she was certainly docile enough for that. Other people did so with no hesitation, to my chagrin. In time I may have achieved this level of rapport with Rosy, but as fate would have it someone I knew fell in love with her and asked if he could have her. Knowing she would be in good hands, I let her go. In her new home she was no longer confined to her aquarium home—she had the run of an entire bedroom and a caretaker who enjoyed handling her. She was better off than she was with me. And I was better off for having cared for her.

My fear of any nonpoisonous spider smaller than Rosy vanished soon after I got her. From that time on I have been able to gently pick up and move spiders that would otherwise have been killed because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. I also quickly applied my general “live and let live” philosophy to spiders in my house, proudly showing them off to visitors, who I encourage to adopt the same attitude. I always point out the benefits of having one's own little pest control service on duty—pesky flies and moths efficiently eradicated at no charge!