Quarantine

Museum Victoria supports AQIS' role in safeguarding Australia's environment from the release of new exotic animals by safely holding and identifying species so smugglers can be prosecuted. The facility at Melbourne Museum is AQIS approved and subject to Commonwealth legislation.

Security procedures ensure there can be no escape for the tarantulas or their parasites.

• Even though it is within the Museum's own secure premises, three separately keyed locks stand between authorised staff and the spiders.
• Only a handful of Museum staff are authorised to access the quarantine room.
• Access is through a series of sealed doors- warning lights show when a door is open so only one may be opened at any one time.
• 100 micron mesh covers all vents.
• Every crack and crevice is sealed, and all surfaces are painted white and brightly lit 24 hours a day.
• Spider trap boxes- with shady black interiors, are placed in the three chambers to attract any escapees- tarantulas are attracted to dark hiding places.
• All waste from within the quarantine chamber is sterilised by freezing at 25 degrees below zero for six weeks.
• Only one sex of each species is held, to ensure there is no breeding.

Visit the Image gallery to see a few of our tarantulas