Sir Gavin Williamson announced that his pet tarantula, Cronus, has died. Cronus had lived on his desk in the Houses of Parliament and later at the Ministry of Defence, gaining internet fame after reports emerged in 2016. Williamson previously described using the tarantula as part of persuading MPs to support the government. Questions were raised about whether Cronus was allowed in Parliament, and he was reportedly evicted from the MoD after a colleague developed arachnophobia. Williamson said he had a paternal approach to Cronus and called the spider an “incredibly clean, ruthless killer” that was fascinating to rear. Experts noted tarantulas can bite but are not considered harmful to humans, and Cronus’s age matched the average lifespan for male tarantulas. Williamson last updated on Cronus in September, saying it was living a good retirement in Staffordshire.
"Sir Gavin Williamson has announced that his pet tarantula, who once lived on his desk in the Houses of Parliament and Ministry of Defence, has died. The Conservative MP shared a series of photographs of him with his "trusty companion" set to Angels by Robbie Williams on social media to reveal the death. Cronus, who had been with the former defence secretary since he was a hatchling, achieved internet fame after reports about his life alongside his owner in Westminster emerged in 2016."
"While Tory chief whip, Sir Gavin was said to have used Cronus to intimidate unruly MPs so they stuck to the party line. "You have to look at all different ways to persuade people to vote with the government and it's great to have Cronus as part of the team," he told the Times in 2016. There were questions over whether he was allowed to keep the tarantula in the Houses of Parliament. Cronus was reportedly evicted from the MoD over a colleague's arachnophobia the following year."
""I've had Cronus since he was a spiderling, so I have a very paternal sort of approach," Sir Gavin once told the Telegraph. "It's very much the same sort of love and care that I give to my spider as I give to all MPs." The Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge MP called the spider an "incredibly clean, ruthless killer" who was "absolutely fascinating to rear". He was named after the ruling Titan in Greek mythology who ate all his children."
"While tarantulas can deliver a painful bite, they are not considered harmful to humans. Cronus was roughly 11 years old when he died, which is around the average life span of a male tarantula, according to experts at the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Sir Gavin last shared an update on Cronus in September, when he wrote that the spider was "living a good retirement in Staffordshire", where the MP's constituency is located."
Read at www.bbc.com
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