Pet spider kills its owner

[andrew8798]

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2004092008,00.html

MAN who lived in his own “zoo” of lizards and insects was fatally bitten by a pet black widow spider — then eaten by the other creepy-crawlies.
Police broke in to Mark Voegel’s apartment to find spider Bettina along with 200 others, several snakes, a gecko lizard called Helmut and several thousand termites had gorged on his body.

Neighbours alerted police after becoming alarmed by the stink.

And horrified officers were met by a nightmare scene.

A police spokesman said: “It was like a horror movie. His corpse was over the sofa.

“Giant webs draped him, spiders were all over him. They were coming out of his nose and his mouth.

“There was everything there one could imagine in the world of reptiles.

“Larger pieces of flesh torn off by the lizards were scooped up and taken back to the webs of tarantulas and other bird-eating spiders.”

Loner Voegel, 30, never invited people back to his “jungle” home, a small apartment in the German city of Dortmund.

Police described it as a cross between a botanical garden and the butterfly breeding ground in the serial killer movie The Silence Of The Lambs.

One tarantula had built a nest the size of a swallow’s in a corner of the ceiling.

Voegel also had a boa constrictor and several poisonous frogs from South America.

Spider expert and animal cruelty officer Gabi Bayer said he kept creatures “that should never be allowed in a private home”.

She said: “He had spiders so aggressive they are the equivalent of a pit-bull in the animal world.”

The reptiles were allowed to roam free in the flat.

The heating elements on two tanks containing spiders and their termite snacks had exploded and dislodged the metal tops allowing them to escape.

Voegel is thought to have been dead for between seven and 14 days.

A post-mortem will be carried out in the next few days. But authorities believe Bettina alone was responsible for Voegel’s death.

[Titan]

Now that is just freaky. I couldn't imagine what it would have been like to find that scene.

[El Rooto]

That must have been the most horrific thing in the world to see.

And to think I snorted when I saw the title of the thread.

[Rich]

That is one damn twisted story. Who the hell could sleep knowing all those things are all over your house? I snickered at the title too.

[Speck]

You can't really feel sorry for a guy as stupid as this one. But I find the part about termites muching on his body kinda far fetched.

[Kat]

I actually doubt if that story is real. People RARELY die from Black Widow bites, the only way one could die is if they avoided seeking any medical attention at all ,usually it takes roughly 10 minutes before anything really serious is felt. Along with the fact he could have been severly allergic to them There is only an average of 4 deaths per year are reported to occur as a result of spider bites.



Rama goes into Paramedic mode -

I put spoiler tags because I got into graphic medical details....

What happens is usually the area will begin to get sore and cramp

Accompained by nausea, sweating and sometimes becoming paranoid/anxieity attacks.

Abnormal heart rate (either fast or slow)

Latrdectus facies (spasms of facial muscles)


Rarely will you die though.....

Oh and maggots/worms/insects usually begin naturally feasting on the body usually after 4-12 days after death, no matter where the body is located.


FROM MY OLD PARAMEDIC TEXT BOOK

Flies are immediately attracted to the body after death, and lay eggs around the bodily orifices and any available wounds. Blowflies and houseflies are the most common early insect responders.

Putrefaction
Within several days after death, the body bloats from the build-up of gases. The pressure of the gas inflates the body and forces fluids from cells into the body cavity.

Hydrogen sulfide, methane, cadaverine, and putrescine are by-products of the decomposition process. They are pushed throughout the body by the bloating action, and by the movement of the young maggots which are now populating the body. Their strong odor attracts additional insects, such as beetles, mites, and parasitoid wasps that lay eggs within the bodies of the maggots on which they prey.

[Jason's Storm]

What a moron, can anyone say that this was bound to happen.

~JS

[Mutant Leprechaun]

MAN who lived in his own “zoo” of lizards and insects was fatally bitten by a pet black widow spider — then eaten by the other creepy-crawlies.

Voegel also had a boa constrictor and several poisonous frogs from South America. I can't really say I feel sorry for someone who was such a fool in life. He was pretty much asking for it by keeping the spider and South American frogs in his home.

[Jason's Storm]

I'm sure animal control and zoo officials were probably like, "Oh fuck, this is going to be a bitch to pick up."

~JS

[The Dark Vampire]

http://a0.vox.com/6a00bf76d0a9b7438300c2252095a08e1d-500pi
I pity the fool who lets poisonous animals run free in his house

[El Rooto]

You tell 'em, Mr. T!

[D-Lo]

She said: “He had spiders so aggressive they are the equivalent of a pit-bull in the animal world.”



Isn't the 'pit-bull' the equivalent of a pit-bull in the animal world?:p

[BlakeTyner]

Isn't the 'pit-bull' the equivalent of a pit-bull in the animal world?:p

Nice catch. I don't think the Sun is a bastion of journalism, but if there's a grain of truth to the article, it certainly is poetic justice. Even Mr. T knows it.

:mrt:

~Blake

[The New Blood]

And to think I snorted when I saw the title of the thread.

I hope you snorted something good.


yeah this whole story sounds like bullshit to me.

[TheShowstoppa]

yeah... but if it was true... UGH! I absolutely HATE HATE HATE spiders. They freak me out. Upon reading this story, I got that creepy crawly feeling. I'm a huge arachnaphobe... ugh.

[On a Pale Horse]

I am surprised the creatures didn't eat each other too. I bet there was some pretty interesting confrontations in there.

[The Tall Man]

People gotta lay off pit-bulls. Pit-bulls are ONLY as mean as their owners raise them to be.

I had a pit bull and he was the absolutely GREATEST dog ever. Ever. (I proved it scientifically ;) )

Sorry... back to killer spiders. That woman's quote just irked me.

T.M.

[FreddyKR]

I absolutely HATE spiders, this would be my worst nightmare.

[Jigsaw]

Creepy doesn't even begin to describe this :eek:

[Just Jeans]

Neighbours alerted police after becoming alarmed by the stink.

Glad to see this article is up to The Sun's usual standards. :shifty:

Anyhoo -- holy mother of fucking ouch, man! Eaten by your own collection. That's brutal. But then I guess that's why most animal owners -- even spider enthusiasts -- keep critters that are non poisonous. Getting bitten is one thing. Getting bitten by a black widow is quite another.

The funny thing is that, despite how aggressive black widows can be, they tend to keep to themselves so long as you don't pester them. This guy must have been handling the goddamn thing... unless the heating element exploding and letting spiders free is what let the widow out, but if that had happened you'd think he would have been aware of it in enough time to get the fuck out of dodge.

I actually doubt if that story is real. People RARELY die from Black Widow bites...

Black Widows are probably the most "urban legend" spider in Texas. We've got tons of them. They are quite poisonous, and if the man was allergic to venom, it could have done for him quite fast. Or, in traditional Sun fashion, the tabloid could have reported the wrong spider as being the culprit. It sounds to me like this cat very probably had a plethora of venomous spiders.

If the story is true at all, that is. The Sun does have a habit of making things up, particularly on a slow news day.

[The Tall Man]

The Sun does have a habit of making things up, particularly on a slow news day.
Jeans, I gotta wonder... do you think the writers at the Sun moonlight at Bloody Disgusting? ;)

T.M.

[Speck]

Like I said, I don't think termites would feast on a corpse, unless the guy had a wooden leg http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a356/jmoor279/dog.gif

[Just Jeans]

I wouldn't be shocked, Tall. :shock:

Speck, do you mind if I have that laughing Duck Hunt dog off you? I'd like to add it to the emoticon library on the forum.

As for termites eating people, I think that's a bit of bad fiction on the part of The Sun. I've done a bit of reading up, and based on the few facts I've seen in the last ten minutes, the termite physiology is unsuitable for devouring flesh, dead or otherwise.

Termites are generally grouped according to their feeding behaviour. Thus the commonly used general groupings are: Subterranean, Soil-feeding, Drywood, Dampwood and Grass eating. Of these, subterraneans and drywoods are primarily responsible for damage to human structures.

All termites eat cellulose in its various forms as plant fiber. Cellulose is a rich energy source (think of the amount of energy released when wood is burned), but remains difficult to digest. Termites rely primarily upon symbiotic protozoa (metamonads) such as Trichonympha, and other microbes in their gut to digest the cellulose for them, absorbing the end products for their own use. Gut protozoa such as Trichonympha, in turn rely on symbiotic bacteria embedded on their surfaces to produce some of the necessary digestive enzymes. This relationship is one of the finest examples of mutualism among animals. Most so called "higher termites", especially in the Family Termitidae can produce their own cellulase enzymes. However, they still retain a rich gut fauna with bacteria dominant. Due to closely related bacterial species, it is strongly presumed that the termites' gut flora are descended from the gut flora of the ancestral wood-eating cockroachs, like those of the genus Cryptocercus.

Some species of termite practise fungiculture - they maintain a 'garden' of specialized fungi of genus Termitomyces, which are nourished by the excrement of the insects. When the fungi in turn are eaten, their spores pass undamaged through the intestines of the termites, to complete the cycle by germinating in the fresh faecal pellets.

[Violent VictiM]

Dude...DRAPED...in spider webs. WOW. Fuck sleep.

[DrLar]

Black Widows are probably the most "urban legend" spider in Texas. We've got tons of them.


Indeed, just yesterday I killed 2 huge ones, almost an inch in size (w/o counting the legs), you could see the hourglass thingy from afar!

I did a count of how many black widows I killed in a year in my home: 44

[Just Jeans]

Are you serious, DL? Christ, that's a ton. We see them a lot, but not nearly that often. I thought we had it bad here in Texas. :eek:

[Shoesalesman]

Damn, what a disgusting display for authorities to find.

This reminds me of the scene in Jason Lives where Tommy opens the casket and all those bugs are crawling over Jason's face. Yuck!!!

[Nancy Thompson]

People gotta lay off pit-bulls. Pit-bulls are ONLY as mean as their owners raise them to be.

I had a pit bull and he was the absolutely GREATEST dog ever. Ever. (I proved it scientifically ;) )

Sorry... back to killer spiders. That woman's quote just irked me.

T.M.

Don't be Sorry her quote pissed me off too because i have had 2 pit-bulls in my life and they have been the greatest dogs ever. Now if a pit-bull is mean its because the owner raise them to be mean.


Now on to the spiders thing. That man was a dumbass for having all thoes animals running around his house. He was bound to get killed by them