Warning: Venomous Spider in Singapore

As a precaution, please copy this whole article and reblog/email it. Meanwhile, I will wait for my reply from other establishments (NGO, Goverment Ministries and Hospitals). I want to know if there has been any further reports of incidents concerning this Spider.


I received an e-mail recently. The e-mail says that this venomous spider is commonly found in Brazil and some how made it's way to Singapore. Nobody knows how, but it's common for insects and other creatures to travel cross continents via freight (trains, airplanes, ship).

I hope this is a hoax, but the email came with a logo of Changi General Hospital:

On 1st May 2008, Channel 8 made the first report of this poisonous spider in Singapore.

If it's in Singapore it could easily travel to Malaysia and then to Thailand.

Please note that this spider could be around the house etc...

If you're gonna kill it, smack it with a shoe or newspaper, not with bare hands.

An English man was bitten by it, but he freed it because he didn't know that the spider was venomous.

The Pictures below shows the effects of the venom:









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UPDATE From: National Enviroment Agency of Singapore

Recieved: 18 July 2009, 3am (few hours after this post went up)

Their reply, I copied and paste here:

Ref: MK97189621

Dear Ms Joanne Lee

Thank you for your email dated 17 July 2009.

2 Firstlywe wish to clarify that the information in the email was not
released by NEA.

3 The insect in the picture submitted looks like a rove beetle. However
we are not able to name the species based on the picture alone as we lack
the taxonomy key to do it.

4 According to the web sites information that we have gatheredmajority
of this species of rove beetle live in rice fields.

5 So farwe have not received any information of it being found in
Singapore. We are also unable to confirm that the cause of the skin
condition as shown in the picture submitted is due to contact with this
beetle.

Please call me or email contact_nea@nea.gov.sg if we can be of further
assistance.


Sincerely

Mohd KhalilKal (Mr)
Customer Service Officer
Tel: 1800-CALL NEA [1800-2255 632]
National Environment Agency

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UPDATE From: Changi General Hospital Singapore

Recieved: 21 July 2009, 5:30pm

Their reply, I copied and paste here:

Dear Joanne Lee,

Thank you for accessing our website.
The CGH logo was used without our permission and the hospital did not contribute in any way to the contents in this email. Please do not circulate this email.

Thank you.

We wish you the best of health.

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I'm still waiting for replies from the hospitals, other wildlife departments, zoos, wildlife societies, university faculties of Malaysia and Singapore... and Channel 8