You couldn’t have told it from my manner, but I was feeling more than a bit nonplussed. The spectacle before me was enough to nonplus anyone.

A pious cause.

Tarantulas are found in parts of the United States and are frequently sold as pets. Tarantula bites usually do not cause significant envenomations but may cause local tissue swelling. Another hazard of tarantulas is that contact with the hairs of the back, which are released when the tarantula is distressed, can cause local skin reactions as well as a granulomatous reaction of the cornea and conjunctiva of the eye (ophthalmia nodosa) that requires urgent ophthalmologic attention. Dogs or cats that attempt to eat tarantulas may gag or vomit.

Time is a key success metric.