Here come the spider men: Hong Kong’s tarantula collectors reveal what goes on in their hairy hobby
A niche group of enthusiasts keep the giant venomous spiders as pets
The number eight is well-known as an auspicious number in Chinese numerology.
The word sounds phonetically similar to “fortune” and “one hundred” – the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games began on August 8, 2008 at 8 pm, and an eight-digit telephone number consisting of only the number eight was reportedly sold for 2.33 million yuan (HK$2.69 million) in 2003.
But the lucky number is not the reason why members of the Hong Kong Tarantula Club love to keep the eight-legged arachnids as pets.
Bunny Poon King-chung started the club in 1999, but his interest in tarantulas began when he was a child. Living in the countryside, he came across spiders regularly and did not fear handling them. Poon got his first tarantula pet at age 20, and has more than 500 today.
Poon opened the club’s Facebook page in 2010, which now has more than 1,300 likes. Group members meet occasionally to purchase or exchange tarantulas, and tell stories of their pets.
“They’re easy to care for, they don’t need a lot of space and they require little time [for care],” he said.