Treat an arachnophobe to tarantula tickling this Christmas!
PUBLISHED 24/11/21
Is there someone in your life who is simply terrified of spiders? You can now buy them the most unique and life-changing gift of all this Christmas - the gift of curing that fear!
Drusillas Zoo Park near Alfriston are offering Christmas gift vouchers for their highly celebrated Spider Phobia Courses, which see arachnophobes facing their fears, learning ways to cope with anxiety around spiders, and bravely handling several eight-legged creatures, including tarantulas and the much-maligned false widow spider.
The course, which has been running for seven years, boasts a 100% success rate, and is an incredible opportunity for Drusillas’ spider experts to calmly quell the fears of an arachnophobe once and for all, with extraordinary results – including a recent participant who is now looking into owning pet tarantulas!
Resident spider expert and committee member of The British Tarantula society, Angela Hale (affectionately known as ‘Tarangela’), runs the unusual courses alongside her husband Ray Hale – both recognised as experts in their field - and the pair recently joined Ray Mears on national television to talk about false widows.
Gemma Marsh, who completed the course in September, said: “I cannot recommend this highly enough! Angela and Ray were so brilliant, informative, reassuring and adapted their approach for everyone on the course for their level of worries and concerns. I went in thinking there was no way I would come away feeling differently about spiders and now feel like I can catch them with my hands! Feel like I’ve wasted 30+ years worrying! Life changing!"
Angela spoke about the courses: “People join for all sorts of reasons; some struggle to spend time in their gardens and sheds, some can’t sleep at night for fear of house spiders, and we’ve even had some who are relocating abroad where big spiders are more common and they want to prepare themselves.”
Angela continued: “For us, education is the key. It’s about breaking down the mental barriers your brain has built up, and taking control of your fears. Once our participants realise that there is simply nothing to fear, they begin to accept that their phobia has gone and they can begin to enjoy life.”
Due to the course’s popularity, Drusillas have added four new dates for 2022, and released details among their ‘Zooper Christmas Gift Guide’ – an array of unique and unforgettable animal experiences that can be gifted to loved ones this year.
Other offerings on Drusillas’ Christmas gift list include: Zoo Photography Days with exclusive access inside their animal enclosures, Zoo Keeper for a Day for the ultimate animal-lovers experience of a whole day of nose-to-nose animal encounters, and Animal Adoptions which Drusillas are offering half price during Black Friday.
Details of the Park’s Spider Phobia Courses and other unusual gift ideas can be found on their website https://www.drusillas.co.uk/unusual-gift-ideas