THE giant spider that was apparently abandoned in a service station car park is settling down in a new, comfy home.

Aragog the tarantula has been taken in by Liz Wood, deputy manager of the RSPCA’s Millbrook Animal Centre.

The Mexican red knee tarantula was found by a motorist wandering across a car park at Wisley services on the southbound A3 on Thursday last week.

Liz is using her previous experience of keeping large, hairy arachnids to help Aragog recover from an ordeal that left him in need of some TLC.

“He was very dehydrated and under-weight, and had a lot of wounds on his abdomen,” said Liz, who has previously looked after two tarantulas that needed a new home. “He had definitely been outdoors in his own for a little while.”

Aragog is now living in an aquarium which has the humid atmosphere he needs to help him thrive. Liz is providing his favourite food of crickets and grasshoppers. “He’s looking a lot better than he did when he came to the centre,” she added.

For the full story get the 12 September edition of the News & Mail