Bengal shudders in fear of tarantulas, experts say panic baseless
What's the story
Parts of West Bengal are in the grips of tarantula scares after dozens of people reported getting bitten.
Over the last few weeks, numerous spiders were killed as part of the retaliation too, as reports of suspected bites and sightings came in.
There have been no fatalities so far, and experts said residents might be over-estimating a natural phenomenon.
Here's more.
The start
The tarantula scare originated in West Midnapur district
It all started in the West Midnapur district about three weeks back when villagers from Danton, Debra, and Keshiary went to local hospitals complaining of spider bites.
They reported pain, swelling, blackening of areas around the bite wounds, and even respiratory problems.
Thankfully, however, all the bite victims were discharged from the hospitals within a few days, and recovered.
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Tarantulas found in Bengal cannot kill, says ZSI director
"Some tarantula species are found in Bengal but it is simply a myth that their bite could prove fatal. One can fall critically ill only due to secondary infections because of improper treatment," said director of Zoological Survey of India, Kailash Chandra.
Other incidents
Over 30 other incidents reported across several districts
Since the West Midnapur incident, over 30 incidents of suspected bites and sightings were reported in Purulia, Birbhum, Burdwan, Howrah, East Midnapore, Murshidabad, and North Dinajpur districts of the state.
People in these districts, in a state of panic, also started killing most large and hairy spiders on sight. The survivors were handed over to local forest department staff.
Explanations?
Why the sudden increase in spider bites and sightings?
Most of the spiders captured so far from the villages are eastern Indian striated burrowing spiders, scientifically called chilobrachys hardwicki.
Incidentally, a 2008 report by S Molur, BK Biswas, and M Siliwal, published in the International Union for Conservation of Nature, noted that chilobrachys hardwicki was straying into human settlements due to loss of habitat.
The coincidence between the two cannot be ruled out.
Regular panic
West Bengal is no stranger to 'tarantula scares'
Since 2000, panic has spread in several northern and southwestern West Bengal districts almost every alternate year ahead of each year's monsoons.
A plausible explanation, said Arachnologist Sankar Talukdar is that pre-monsoon season is the mating season for spiders, and hence their presence is felt even more strongly by residents.
Coupled with the aforementioned report, the regular tarantula scares seem to have an explanation.
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No need to panic, but killing spiders isn't wise
"Neither is tarantula aggressive nor is its bite fatal. On the other hand, this spree to kill spiders could have a lasting impact on environment and ecosystem. Ultimately, agriculture will suffer," said Tanmay Mahapatra, an epidemiologist and public health researcher.