PETALING JAYA, March 3 -- Independent researcher Stephen Hogg has been given many nicknames over the years, the latest being “Spider Man.â€Â쳌
He did not earn it by swinging from building to building or climbing walls like the amazing comic book character but from his pursuit of a more serious activity – exploring the realm of the tarantula spider in Fraser’s Hill.
Some may find it a rather strange interest for someone suffering from arachnophobia (a fear of spiders), but there is something about the tarantulas in Fraser’s Hill that has weaved a mystical web around this man.
“I have always feared spiders from young. Even now, when at home, I would freak out at the sight of a small spider on my wall or ceiling.
“But tarantulas fascinate me,â€Â쳌 he said in a recent interview.
While visitors to Fraser’s Hill may think that this Mat Salleh (Caucasian) and his wife, Salmiah Abu, are merely on a holiday, the locals have gotten used to seeing the two of them every week, peering into the embankments along the various paths, with their full spectrum of photographic gear.
A plastic injection engineer by profession, Hogg who is from Durham in northern England, gave up a managerial position to pursue the elusive tarantulas.
“When I first started taking photographs of the spiders in Fraser’s Hill, no one could tell me more about them.
“I sent some of the photos to experts on spiders overseas and they came back with fascinating information,â€Â쳌 he recalled.
According to Hogg, he had sent many of his photographs to Canada, Britain and Australia, and even the World Conservation Union (IUCN), which employs most of the renowned tarantula experts.
“Based on the information provided to me and through my own research, I found that there are 12 species of tarantulas in Malaysia.
“Out of these, two species are un-described, which means no research has been carried out to find out more about them. One of them is in Fraser’s Hill,â€Â쳌 he said.
Over the last two years, Hogg, accompanied by Salmiah, has travelled all over the peninsula – including Maxwell’s Hill in Taiping and the Kenong Rimba Park in Pahang – in search of other tarantula species, spending many nights sleeping in their car in the middle of nowhere.
Apart from photographing them, he has also been documenting the life cycle of the tarantulas on video.
“Through sheer perseverance and sometimes luck, I have managed to record two tarantulas mating, and later, the same female laying eggs, the babies emerging from the egg pouch, and right through to the time they finally emerged from the nest.
“I was even chased by the angry male, which was running away from the female after mating,â€Â쳌 he said.
Studying the elusive and very shy tarantulas has certainly posed challenges for Hogg.
“In my first encounter with a tarantula in its hole, I didn’t know how to coax it out. I had to try with several types of bait, including grasshoppers and crickets, to finally get it out.
And the spider, he has discovered, has some interesting feeding habits.
“Once it catches its prey, it pulls it into the hole and weaves a web around it, to be enjoyed later,â€Â쳌 he added.
Hogg, who has completed a 20-minute documentary, would like to see the arachnids given due recognition and protection by the authorities.
He pointed out that it was very easy to enlist the help of orang asli to catch tarantulas.
“It costs only a mere RM25 for one specimen, either dead or alive, while the baby spiders sell for around US$60 (RM228) each in the United States.
“It is my hope that they don’t survive into the next century only on film,â€Â쳌 he said.
News quoted from the Star daily
