STOCKHOLM, Sweden, July 7 A stowaway black widow spider that arrived in Sweden in a car newly imported from California bit the new owner who was quickly taken to a hospital.
The man felt fine hours later and was released from Danderyd Hospital that afternoon, The Local reported Saturday.
Police responded carefully to the incident. "All the protective gear went on; they obviously wanted to avoid getting bitten themselves," Ann-Charlotte Wejnas of the Stockholm police told The Local.
The man, along with the spider trapped in a glass jar, was rushed to the hospital where they sent the spider out for positive identification by Skansen zookeeper Jan Wiman.
"There's no doubt that it's a black widow," Wiman said. "It's a full-grown female but she seems rather old and quite weak. She probably didn't enjoy traveling in a shipping container."
UPI
