Bali has become one of the world’s most visited tourist destinations for foreigners from various countries. While on the Island of the Gods, foreign tourists often share their experiences, and some of them are quite unusual.
One of them came from a foreign tourist who was caught filming hundreds of spiders dangling between power lines. The footage was later shared on the @seanhammonds Instagram account.
“The side of Bali you don’t see online,” the video is titled.
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The video shows rows of spider nests, along with the animal seen nesting on power lines in Bali. It’s unclear how many there are, but there are hundreds of spiders nesting in various sizes, ranging from large to small.
Unexpectedly, the foreign tourist let one large spider climb into his hand.
“I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw all of the cobwebs 👀🕷️
Me being me though I just wanted to get closer, and so the guide asked me if I wanted to hold one. I have to admit I was a bit nervous at first, but it was actually pretty chill. His little feet felt like toothpicks, they were a little prickly, but apart from that he was just a sweet little guy.
So if you see the spider in Bali, don’t be scared, they’re actually quite lovely!! 🌴🕷️,” he wrote in the video caption.
The video was watched by hundreds of thousands of people and was filled with comments.
“I live in Bali, the all part with spiders is only in Kintamani. Maybe aroud 100m only, not all bali like that 😅 i live in Kerobokan,” wrote netizen @dwita.cha.
“I didn’t see that on Bali tho,” wrote netizen @memetoppy.
Although troubling, residents admit that this phenomenon is actually not new.
Experts suspect that Kintamani’s booming black spider population is related to an unbalanced food chain.
As reported by CNN, Sumarsono, Head of the Conservation Section of Region I of the Bali Natural Resources Conservation Center (BKSDA), believes that any strange natural or wildlife phenomenon should be suspected of being the result of an imbalance in the ecosystem.
The imbalance could be due to too many, overpopulation, too few, or almost extinct predators.
“It can also be the other way around because the prey is too much or too little or almost extinct. For this spider phenomenon, it could also be a certain type of bird predator, including owls, which are already too few or extinct and almost extinct,” he said.
There are two possible reasons for this. First, the population of insects that are the black spider’s main prey may be on the decline.
Usually, this can be caused by excessive pesticide use in plantation areas.
The second possibility is that natural predators of black spiders, such as owls, may become increasingly rare or even extinct in Kintamani, where this phenomenon is often found.
This phenomenon is an important reminder for all of us to maintain the balance of the ecosystem. The loss of one species in the food chain can have a domino effect that harms other species, even humans.
Don’t be deterred from coming to Bali
This area showing the number of spider in Bali will most likely not be encountered while on vacation in the island, so don’t let it deter you from visiting.
Where to go in Bali? Bali has many tourist destinations that are suitable for first-time foreign tourists. If you want to enjoy a hip and trendy atmosphere, you can visit Canggu and Uluwatu, which are filled with aesthetic cafes and cool beach clubs.
But if your goal is to enjoy a quieter atmosphere and become closer to Balinese spirituality and culture, the Ubud area is the perfect place.
