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First, if I came off as a fear-monger, I sincerely apologize.

I do believe I used words like "highly unlikely" and that the risk of a pet dog bringing ticks into the house is much more medically significant than a pet tarantula bite.  I also said that I've never even heard of anyone who has treated an allergic reaction to a tarantula bite.

I hoped that my statements would have been taken in context.

I still stand by everything I said . . . and further, I believe that the tarantula hobby is extremely vital for the sake of humanity.

There are several medications that come from animal venom.  Byetta is a med used to treat a heart condition called atrial fibrillation, and it comes from the pygmie rattlesnake.  There are medications for diabetes and parkinson's disease that are being refined from the venom of the gila monster, and venom from the copperhead snake may hold a cure for cancer called "contortostatin."

We are in the middle of a human-caused mass extinction, and tarantula species have a better chance of survival if they're being kept as pets.

As another example, consider the Spix Macaw.  It was driven into total extinction in the wild, andthe species only exists today because of about 45 birds that were pets, and repatriated back to Brazil for a breeding program . . . and now, we are up to about 300 birds.

Certain animals are very charismatic, like the excessively cute and endangered Hawaiian monk seal, so when an appeal goes out for resources to protect them, the dollars roll in.

Yet if we try to raise a similar appeal for snakes, tarantulas, and scorpions . . . we would be lucky to see a dime.

Yet it's these "nasty animals" that may hold an ultimate cure for cancer.

So no . . . I don't intend to be a fear monger.