LOL LOL @ OBT vs Metallica ....


There is quite some interesting things happening on the baboon spider side ... even the C Crawshayi is being renamed ...

For those on Facebook this is a great site to join

www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Baboon-Spiders/204401659810

+1 Waylander

Duke, as this is a South African forum, we cannot stress enough that in this country it is illegal to catch, keep, transport, breed, import or export any local Theraposid species.

It may not be illegal in other countries, but for the sake of our local fauna we need to put an end to the illegal exports - at all costs!

It is ok Marula i have been a member of this forum for a few years so i'm well aware of the laws regarding your local fauna. The only point i was trying to make is that just because a species is on a CITES list doesn't mean that it is illegal to keep them just illegal to remove them from their country of origin for commercial export etc. It is illegal to keep SA tarantulas in SA without a permit so don't do it, no arguments there.

As for the illegal export of your local fauna does anyone have any real idea of the numbers being smuggled out? All i can tell you is that there are quite a few different SA species available in the tarantula hobby in the UK and EU but only a handful of each that are actually adults. So i would suspect that the numbers are probably negligible in the grand scheme of things. Also given how easy it is to breed these species coupled with the low demand for them i doubt they are at much risk from being wiped out. Not that that makes it ok though.

I want to say something, but the word "hypocrite" jumps to mind. Although I would physically engage someone who collects and exports local (South African) spiders, we all have illegally imported spiders in our possession, or at least the offspring thereof, or am I wrong... again?

This is the thing that amuses me. Lots of people up in arms about a few local SA species being exported illegally but nothing said about all the spiders being illegally smuggled into the country by dealers and hobbyists.
Unfortunately with this hobby no matter what country you are in smuggling already has and will continue to be a part of it.

thebts.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?6671-...-name-changes-galore

Hi, I just found this. It states that some of the South African T's have already been renamed:

Citharischius crawshayi is now called Pelinobius muticus

Ceratogyrus ezendami is now called Augacephalus ezendami (same spider as Augacephalus sp. Mozambique).

Idiothele sp. Blue Foot is now called Idiothele mira.