Tarantula reunited with owner after missing for three weeks

A pet tarantula found in Wallingford has been safely reunited with its owner after going missing for three weeks.

A public post on social media platform Facebook resulted in Charlotte the tarantula being safely returned to her owner, 7-year-old Theo Kyriacou.

Commenting on the post, Théo's father Charlie Kyriacou said: “I can't believe you found her.

“Thank you so much for keeping her safe.”

Théo Kyriacou, 7 years old, with Charlotte (Image: Image: Charlie Kyriacou)

Mr Kyriacou described his son's reaction to Charlotte's discovery as being “over the moon”.

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He added: “We just got back into town and everyone is asking us about her.

“Charlotte is one and a half years old and we’ve had her since she was the size of a 5p coin as a spider.”

Théo Kyriacou, 7 years old, with Charlotte (Image: Image: Charlie Kyriacou)

Charlotte disappeared after Theo left the feed hatch open.

The tarantula had been spotted by a member of the public in the Goldsmith Lane car park.

Jordan Hammond, who lives in the town, said her friend Paige found Charlotte on her way to work.

She noticed traffic stopping and there was a tarantula in the road, so she quickly jumped out and put the spider in her to-go cup.

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Ms Hammond said: “When she rang us to say we didn’t believe her at first – I didn’t believe her until I got to town and she showed it to me.

“Luckily a few people knew the spider belonged to a little boy at the pub and knew it was missing, so it didn’t take us too long to get in touch with the owners.

“We are all surprised that he was found safe after three weeks.”