FOR a mere RM500, one can buy a live tarantula straight from Fraser’s Hill.
The wait, however, could be indefinite, and any dealings with the seller will be carried out furtively.
Tarantula hunters in Fraser’s Hill have become more discreet in their practices after the authorities began monitoring them following press reports earlier this year.
StarMetro visited the hill resort recently to check on the situation and see if we could buy a tarantula.
Not knowing where to start, we visited one of the few restaurants at Fraser’s Hill and casually asked the owner about tarantulas, which are considered a tourist attraction in the area, while deciding what to eat.
Up for grabs: Spiders like this can fetch up to RM500 for a single specimen. The owner, who was born and bred in Fraser’s Hill, said tarantula-catching was a favourite pastime when he was younger.
“I knew where and when the tarantulas would come out and how to catch them,” he said while demonstrating how he made his traps.
“We would leave it in a bottle and it was just harmless fun for us,” he added.
However, he did not know if there was anyone selling the arachnids as it had always been more of a hobby for him.
“The tarantula population here has dwindled considerably. Previously, there were plenty of them and they used to be a common sight at night but it’s hard to spot them now.
“Perhaps too many have been caught or the weather is no longer favourable. It’s hardly cold here these days and there isn’t as much mist in the night as there was before,” he said.
To avoid raising suspicions, we ate our meal and wandered around the town before settling on another shop with only a few patrons inside.
When the elderly man at the counter was free, we asked him if he knew of anyone selling tarantulas.
He looked slightly suspicious and asked how we knew that tarantulas were being sold in the area.
Camouflaged: One of the tarantula species found at the hill resort. We told him that a friend had previously bought one to rear as a pet. He was satisfied with the answer and said he had to keep a low profile as there were many prying eyes who would report such activities to the authorities.
When offered RM500 for a tarantula, he said the price was right but it would take some time as he would have to catch the spider first.
He also said the tarantula should be fed insects.
After some conversation, the elderly shopkeeper trusted us enough to show off his collection of photos documenting the various indigenous species he had caught.
Also shown in the pictures were regular ”customers” and tourists from overseas who had bought spiders and insects from him.
He said he occasionally travelled to KL and he could deliver the tarantula when he made one of his trips.
However, follow-up calls to the man proved to be unsuccesful as he claimed that he had not been able to catch a tarantula.
“It’s getting more difficult to catch the spiders these days. A lot of people have disturbed the area so the tarantulas hardly come out of their burrows. You need to give me more time,” he claimed.
Local tourist guide K.S. Durai, who is now a special officer with the Tourism Ministry, is among those against the sale of tarantulas.
He said Malaysians from other states who used to visit Fraser’s Hill in search of the spiders hardly did so nowadays, which he said was a good sign.
“We don’t want them to disturb the nests. If the selling continues, then in a few years, the spiders would all be gone,” Durai said.
He claimed that about five years ago, the locals would sell the tarantulas to visitors and tourists but after educating them, many had stopped.
“We also work closely with the police so if they spot anyone catching tarantulas, they would notify me and I would speak to them,” he said.
Popular destination: Fraser’s Hill is popular with nature lovers, especially bird-watchers. A Bernama report had quoted Durai as saying that tarantulas were protected under the Protection of Wild Life Act 1972 but checks with Wildlife Department proved otherwise.
Durai said he told people that so they would not harm the spiders further.
“We are working closely with the Wildlife Department to endorse tarantulas as a protected species,” Durai said.
Meanwhile, a check at a pet shop in Kuala Lumpur showed a lone tarantula in a glass case being sold for RM450.
A pet shop employee claimed the tarantula was a local species but did not know where it came from. He also said one did not need a licence to keep the spider as a pet.
When contacted a week later, the employee said several imported species like the Pinktoe and Rose Hair Tarantulas had been brought in and were being sold at RM180 each.
He also said the tarantulas only ate live insects and needed to be kept in a cool and dry place.
No comments:
Post a Comment