A woman in North Queensland, Australia, has saved a huge spider from drowning in floodwaters and people are understandably freaked out.
Andrea Gofton uploaded footage to her Facebook of the arachnid clinging to thin branches above rising water. So far the video has been viewed over 30,000 times.
Gofton, who was outside a supermarket in Halifax when she spotted the spider struggling to get by, wrote on her Facebook that a branch was used to take it to a nearby dry patch.
"Others wanted to kill it, so you should thank myself and Andrew Giliberto for saving him," wrote Gofton.
Many locals identified the spider as an eastern tarantula — otherwise known as the "bird-eating" or "whistling" spider, a native to North Queensland. While not fatal to humans in most cases, they can inflict a nasty bite on dogs and cats.
Reactions to the huge eight-legged monster are mixed, to say the least.
i have had some time to think about this and i've decided: fuck to the big spider
Locals resucred this creature from flood waters. It's not a monkey, squirrel, or other cute critter. IT'S A SPIDER!!!! https://t.co/eMd0uLPNoC https://t.co/lS20byIzJu
This is a 40cm spider in Queensland that someone saved from flood waters...yeah fuck that!
Yass!!! Glad someone is out there saving #spiders. What a beauty! https://t.co/G26Ld9T8g6
maybe their kindness will be remembered when the Arachnids take over https://t.co/vsvoOXTMS2
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BuzzFeed News has contacted Gofton for comment.
Brad Esposito is a news reporter for BuzzFeed and is based in Sydney, Australia.
Contact Brad Esposito at bradley.esposito@buzzfeed.com.
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