Cranky spider puts bite on Swede

Published: July 7, 2007 at 5:26 PM

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, July 7 (UPI) -- A stowaway black widow spider that arrived in Sweden in a car newly imported from California bit the new owner who was quickly taken to a hospital.

The man felt fine hours later and was released from Danderyd Hospital that afternoon, The Local reported Saturday.

Police responded carefully to the incident. "All the protective gear went on; they obviously wanted to avoid getting bitten themselves," Ann-Charlotte Wejnas of the Stockholm police told The Local.

The man, along with the spider trapped in a glass jar, was rushed to the hospital where they sent the spider out for positive identification by Skansen zookeeper Jan Wiman.

"There's no doubt that it's a black widow," Wiman said. "It's a full-grown female but she seems rather old and quite weak. She probably didn't enjoy traveling in a shipping container."

© 2007 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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