Some Chicago residents were enjoying a walk through a local park last Friday when they suddenly spotted what looked like a very, very large spider crawling around the park. They went over to get a closer look — and realized it was a sizeable tarantula.
The tarantula seemed just as confused to be crawling around the park as the people were to see him there, and it’s likely that the poor little guy was abandoned. Concerned for his safety, the Good Samaritans quickly contacted GoodVets Streeterville, and the clinic agreed to take him in.
After examining him thoroughly, the tarantula was identified as a pink-toed tarantula and appeared to be in great health, much to the relief of his rescuers. Despite his ordeal, he didn’t seem scared at all, and happily let his new friends handle and examine him. Tarantulas don’t just end up in Chicago parks on their own, and everyone was baffled as to how someone could abandon such a sweet little creature.
At first, based on his size and shape, the veterinary team thought that the tarantula was a girl, around 2 years old, and so they decided to name him Blossom.
“Blossom was quite docile when we handled him,” Dr. Sabrina Kuo, CEO of GoodVets, told The Dodo. “He was quite active and seemed to have a bit of a personality, happily posing for our photos.”
One of the veterinary assistants has extensive experience caring for tarantulas, and so he took Blossom home to foster until they can find him a wonderful forever home. It was only once Blossom was settled and relaxing in his foster home that the veterinary assistant realized he was actually a boy.
“Blossom is doing very well and loving his new enclosure,” Kuo said. “The spider very quickly got to making a silk nest in his new home, which is when our staff member made a very interesting discovery. During this process, it was noted that Blossom had mating hooks, confirming that Blossom is actually a male!”
Regardless of his gender, Blossom seems to be having a blast in his foster home, and is likely very grateful to be safe and cared for again after being abandoned. Luckily he was found by the right people, and hopefully before long he’ll have the best new forever family.