INNER VIEW: STEVE NUNN
Page 1 of 4 | 2005 Interview by Michael Jacobi
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Michael Jacobi: Thanks for chatting with me, Steve. I am sure ARACHNOCULTURE readers will be very interested to hear about the arachnid keeping hobby in Australia. Let's start with the big news... You have just launched the Australian Tarantula Association, of which you are president. Tell us about its creation, how the demand for it evolved, and its mission and future plans.
Steve Nunn: 
Hi Michael. While the spider keeping hobby has flourished worldwide, the interest in all spiders from the family Theraphosidae has taken hold in Australia with many keen arachnid enthusiasts looking deeper into the native fauna then ever before. 15 years ago it was thought the family was poorly represented in Australia, with only 6 native species described from the region. This of course is in direct contradiction with the diversity of this beautiful family found in neighbouring countries. The simple answer to this enigma was that under a quarter of the real Australian tarantula populations were known of, much less then that documented. I still find it amazing that to this day, the Australian Theraphosidae remain one of the least understood groups of all spiders in all of Australasia. Given the very large size of these amazing creatures you would think a lot more attention to have been placed on them.
Initially, Australian tarantulas started to turn up in petshops in the early 1990s. Having always been a spider enthusiast I was very keen to purchase one to observe. It did not take long to figure out that the information given out with this tarantula was terrible. All keepers in the early 90s faced the same dilemma, lack of correct information including false identification of the animals being sold. The problems grew steadily as the local hobby increased, everyone saw minor variation in the animals they kept, but could not begin to advance in captive breeding due to almost impossible identification accuracy. By the year 2000 it was obvious something needed to be done, as keepers we needed to be able to identify what we kept, understand the animals better, and unify ourselves to receive and give information. In 2001 the Australian Tarantula Forum began and was the first successful group specific to Australian tarantulas that attracted the attention of many local keepers, several prominent arachnologists and many overseas hobbyists. Through this forum and others that followed (My Tarantula, Aust. Tarantulas and other Inverts), Australian tarantula enthusiasts became united, we learnt a lot from both local members and those overseas, the next step has always been the creation of a more formal group with targeted goals, hence the creation of the ATA. Starting at this late time on an international level affords us some unique opportunites other associations/societies did not have. We are no longer running blind as it were, but we have direction and have been able to draw on past errors and achievements of other groups. On top of this we have recognized the need to remain closely allied with our local and international scientists who are at the forefront of tarantula research, they also recognize that united we can work wonders.
MJ: Your organization focuses on tarantulas. Is the keeping of other arachnids popular in Australia?
SN: Yes, the keeping of all local archnids is common. On top of the tarantulas, we have numerous species of scorpions, mygales (trapdoors) and araneomorphs that seem to cope very well in captivity. Keeping isn't just limited to arachnids either, many will keep centipedes and insects as well. Without question though the tarantulas are the most popular, relatively easy to maintain and via the ATA we have ample access to breeding opportunites, so the focus does tend to stay with them.
MJ: What problems do Australian arachnoculturists face due to regulations on collecting and keeping animals? In short, what can you have and what can't you, and what are your sources for what you can legally keep?
SN: We are at a transitional stage in Australia I believe. While there is no permitting system regarding the keeping of tarantulas, one for wild collecting is in place. Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland have strict laws only very recently put into place to protect these animals from being overharvested. Permits were at first easy to obtain, over time though the procedure for approval is refining and becoming far more specific in regards to identification and location information, this aids in statistic records for the scientists who are classifying these animals.