Car Crash in Death Valley National Park Linked to Tarantula Sighting

A tourist in a national park had a car accident while trying to evade a wild animal. Surprisingly, it was not a bear or bison that startled the driver, but a tarantula. The Death Valley National Park in California recently released a statement stating that two Swiss tourists were traveling in a campervan on October 28. Upon spotting the spider, the driver abruptly hit the brakes, leading a motorcyclist who had been following behind to collide with the back of their vehicle.

The motorcyclist was transported to a nearby hospital while the spider, as stated by the park, "emerged unharmed."

Although tarantulas are among the various wildlife species inhabiting Death Valley - the hottest and driest national park in the country - they are not commonly sighted.

The parks press release clarifies that the arachnids primarily reside underground and only surface to seek potential mates. Fall is their predominant season for emerging above ground.

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Although, if visitors to Death Valley spot an eight-legged creature, the park encourages them to remain calm. Tarantulas, in fact, are docile creatures that move slowly and pose no threat. Their bite is often compared to a bee sting and is not lethal to humans.

In recent years, various instances of human-animal encounters have taken place in the national parks of America. However, the majority of these encounters were due to individuals attempting to approach animals rather than keeping a safe distance from them.

In a recent incident at Yellowstone National Park, staff members were compelled to euthanize a bison calf after a visitor made an ill-advised attempt to lift the animal.

A portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway national park in North Carolina was temporarily shut down last week due to several cases of "individuals feeding and trying to handle a young bear."