Nicaragua's Reptile Breeders Diversify to Exotic Spiders

Exporters of reptiles and amphibians in Nicaragua are venturing into a promising new side business -- raising exotic spiders.

They are diversifying in anticipation of a coming drought that is expected to make it more difficult to raise snakes, toads, lizards and other critters dependent on water for their survival.

There are a dozen experts licensed by the Nicaraguan government to raise and export reptiles and amphibians under the supervision of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources.

That thriving business could be threatened, they say,  as they eye forecasts of a coming El Nino weather phenomenon which is expected to bring a period of intense drought to Nicaragua.

Establishing a new business breeding spiders, is one way to get around the coming water shortage, industry experts said.

"Other countries are having success in this field, so we can as well," said Jessenia Talavera, spokeswoman for Exoticfauna, an association whose members specialize in the export of exotic species.

"All we need is the technical knowhow," she told the 19 de Julio website.

Nicaragua's deputy environment minister, Augusto Flores, said in May that the production of small pets for export is a flourishing industry, with entrepreneurs who specialize in breeding not just amphibians and reptiles, but butterflies as well.

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