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Why you should embrace, not kill, spiders this summer

December 13, 2019

Turns out the eight-legged visitors play a crucial role around the home. (Source: Other)

As we creep closer to Christmas, you might be bracing for a yuletide invasion as family come to visit.

But what about those outdoor guests - the eight-legged kind that tend to take part in their own summer invasion too?

Fiona "Doctor Spider" Cross from the University of Canterbury says we should embrace spiders in our homes.

Seven Sharp reporter Rachel Parkin found out why Doctor Spider believes this in the video above.

New Zealand Animals

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Kevin (left) and Jabali (right) are set to have warmer nights once the barn is completed. (Source: Kelly Hodel / Waikato Times)

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Spanning 7m from the ground to the bottom of the roof, the barn will house the zoo’s two male giraffes, as well as holding space for more.

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Pebbles, a three-month-old Shar Pei mix, with two police officers. (Source: South Auckland Animal Rescue)

'Happy ending': Puppy stolen from Auckland's North Shore rescued

Pebbles, a three-month-old Shar Pei mix, was taken from her foster home in Birkdale on Matariki.

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NZ Cat Foundation’s Anne Batley-Burton and North Canterbury Hunting Comp Organiser Mat Bailey spoke to Breakfast about the controversial event.

More than 400 feral cats killed in annual Canterbury hunting comp

NZ Cat Foundation’s Anne Batley-Burton and North Canterbury Hunting Comp Organiser Mat Bailey spoke to Breakfast following the controversial event.

Mon, Jul 13

10:41

A cat named Tuna looks out from her electronically-monitored cat door in Auckland.

Is your cat safer being kept inside?

In a new survey, 77% of owners cited their cat's safety as the biggest cause for keeping them indoors, followed by protecting wildlife and moving house.

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The brown skua (Stercorarius antarcticus), also known as the Antarctic skua, subantarctic skua, southern great skua, southern skua, or hākoakoa (Māori), is a large seabird. (File image).

Why brown skua? What to know about NZ's first case of H5N1 bird flu

The brown skua seabird found on Wellington's Petone beach confirmed to have H5N1 bird flu strain has since been euthanised.

11:45am

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DOC has begun vaccinating five of the country's most endangered birds including kākāpō, takahē, tchūriwat'/tūturuatu/shore plover, kakī/black stilt and kākāriki karaka/orange-fronted parakeet.

Newly arrived bird flu could wipe out NZ's endangered species

A seabird found on Wellington's Petone beach has tested positive for the potentially deadly H5 strain of the virus.

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Kevin (left) and Jabali (right) are set to have warmer nights once the barn is completed. (Source: Kelly Hodel / Waikato Times)

Legroom aplenty: New home for Hamilton's tallest residents near complete

Spanning 7m from the ground to the bottom of the roof, the barn will house the zoo’s two male giraffes, as well as holding space for more.

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Pebbles, a three-month-old Shar Pei mix, with two police officers. (Source: South Auckland Animal Rescue)

'Happy ending': Puppy stolen from Auckland's North Shore rescued

Pebbles, a three-month-old Shar Pei mix, was taken from her foster home in Birkdale on Matariki.

Mon, Jul 13

NZ Cat Foundation’s Anne Batley-Burton and North Canterbury Hunting Comp Organiser Mat Bailey spoke to Breakfast about the controversial event.

More than 400 feral cats killed in annual Canterbury hunting comp

NZ Cat Foundation’s Anne Batley-Burton and North Canterbury Hunting Comp Organiser Mat Bailey spoke to Breakfast following the controversial event.

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A cat named Tuna looks out from her electronically-monitored cat door in Auckland.

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