Puppy-Sized Spider Killer Gets Death Threats For Euthanizing Arachnid [Video]

Puppy-sized spider killer Piotr Naskrecki has received death threats after euthanizing a South American Goliath birdeater in the name of science. The Internet went wild when people read the Harvard researcher’s account of coming across the puppy-sized spider in the rainforest. A blog post by Naskrecki about the hair-raising encounter was widely quoted and shared online. Now, it has been revealed that the researcher has received death threats for killing the massive arachnid.

According to WebProNews, the incident with the puppy-sized spider took place while Naskrecki was in Guyana. He was there specifically to catch specimens for the Center for the Study of Biological Diversity at the University of Guyana.

Actually, the response hasn’t been all bad. Many people have popped up on Naskrecki’s Facebook page to leave comments in support of his killing the puppy-sized spider, from people like David N’ Lisa Short.

“Uh oh, someone killed a spider, it’s the end of the world!! Let’s all send the guy death threats and hate mail! (Sarcasm) kids are dying of starvation in dozens of counties around the world and it’s nationwide news when someone kills a spider?? Get a life people!”

Sean Boneski was another person who took the time to support Naskrecki for essentially doing his job.

“Since they aren’t endangered, I am considering gathering some friends and going on a trip to kill as many as I can, so people will stop harassing the scientist for doing what scientist do! I would say I am amazed at how goofie [sic] people are, but sadly, I dont think anyone is amazed with the PETA terrorists anymore.”

Naskrecki killed the puppy-sized spider in the name of science. If the average person came upon the mammoth arachnid, would he or she have done anything differently? Many people would have killed the puppy-sized spider themselves, if given half a chance, and research would have had nothing to do with it.

Speaking of horrifying spider stories that keep you up at night, as previously reported by the Inquisitr, a 21-year-old man from Bunbury, Australia got more than he bargained for when he vacationed in Bali with his friends. After an itchy rash appeared near his bellybutton, he visited a local doctor. The doctor prescribed ointment and sent the man on his way.

Unfortunately, the problem persisted, and the rash spread in a straight line upward from the tourist’s belly to his chest. A second doctor’s visit revealed that an eight-legged arachnid had burrowed into the man’s appendectomy scar and traveled beneath his skin, leaving blisters in its wake. Although the body invader was widely reported to be a spider, later reports revealed that it was most likely a mite, as the Inquisitr reported. Mites burrow. Spiders typically do not.

What do you think? Was the death of this puppy-sized spider a necessary evil?

[Image of a puppy-sized spider via Wikimedia Commons]