ARACHNOPHOBE FACES HIS FEAR TO SAVE A SPIDER FAMILY<br />WITH PIX AND VID<br />By Shuk Yee Tsang and Mikey Jones<br />An arachnophobe over his fear of spiders to rescue a wolf spider mother and her babies from a glue trap. <br />Anthony Gianni, 36, a marketing director from Colorado, USA, carefully cut around the trap, applied food-grade mineral oil to the spider’s legs and used a paperclip to gently separate the family from the sticky surface.<br />He was inspired to save the arachnids after growing up watching his mother bring home stray animals to nurse back to health. <br />That childhood influence stuck with him, and now he often finds himself stepping in to save creatures most people might run from.<br />While many praised his compassion, some couldn’t hide their fear of spiders after seeing his rescue clip.<br />Anthony said: “Before lockdowns, I was actually arachnophobic.<br />“Now, not only do I love spiders, but many of my friends and family avoid hurting them because of me. That’s the best feeling.<br />“Not all of my attempts have been successful, so I really wanted this one to go smoothly. Luckily, with the help of the wolf spider mom, it did.<br />“Of course, with any mention of spiders, there are your typical ‘stomp them, burn them’ types of responses. <br />“But overall, the kindness people shared was heartwarming.”<br />END
