LONGLEAT Safari Park have joined an international bid to save a critically endangered species of spider by breeding them at the park before releasing them into the wild.

The Desertas Wolf spider, from the uninhabited Desertas Grande island, off the south east coast of Madeira, is a critically endangered species, with only 4,000 left on the island.

Longleat is one of seven partners, including Bristol Zoo, which is working with the Portuguese government on the conservation programme which aims to raise Desertas Wolf Spiderlings to adulthood.

A total of 52 young spiders arrived at Longleat in December, where they hope to establish a breeding population with batches being released back into the wild to boost native numbers.

Keeper James Gotts, who is overseeing the spider project, said: “We are incredibly excited to announce the new arrival of these incredibly special little animals.

“They are one of the most endangered species of spiders on the planet and we are working to create a very important safety net population.

“Because of all the spiders being in one valley on the island, if something bad were to happen, a flood for example, the entire species could be lost.

“As well as being one of the rarest wolf spider species, Desertas wolf spiders are also among the largest with a leg span of up to 13cms.

“Historically there have been no native mammals on the island so the spiders are effectively one of the top predators.

“However, the recent expansion of an invasive grass species into the valley the spiders live in has prevented the spiders from being able to live in their normal rocky environment, putting them increasingly under threat. Since 2005 the spiders’ range has declined abruptly.

“As well as setting up our own breeding colony we hope the new spider laboratory in our Animal Adventure area will aid with research on this little known species and also raise awareness of their plight.

“The plan is for one of our keepers to travel out to the island in the near future to help with population monitoring and habitat restoration, including hopefully supplementing the wild population with some of our captive reared animals.”

The spiders are being looked after in a carefully controlled environment which mimics conditions in the wild and staff are monitoring temperatures on the island.

Two of the larger spiders have been moved into bigger containers, one of which is on display in the Animal Adventure Area at Longleat.