Fangs for the memories: Rosie the tarantula to "retire"

Rosie the tarantula will get to spin herself a hammock and kick up her eight legs because Westminster's Butterfly Pavilion is retiring its spider handling program.

Why it matters: Rosie the Tarantula has become a Colorado celebrity since the program's introduction in 1995, helping millions of visitors and generations of children overcome their fear of spiders.

Behind the scenes: Just in case you thought she was one very patient 30-year-old spider, "Rosie" is actually played by a collection of Chilean rose hair tarantulas.

• Staff told the Denver Post about 120 tarantulas have played the role before being swapped out.

Reality check: Director of animal collections Sara Stevens told the Denver Post the tarantulas must be 10 years old to be handled and not all of them have the disposition to interact with the public.

• Staff were finding the spiders were cycling out more frequently, and adult tarantulas willing to be handled are expensive and hard to find.
• "What we were finding with our aging tarantulas is they were telling us more and more frequently that they didn't want to be handled," Stevens told the Denver Post."There just wasn't a way for us to continue the experience as is."

What's next: Don't worry, Rosie will still be on display in her new exhibit starting Sept. 8, even if she won't be doing meet-and-greets.

• And if you need more tarantula interaction, don't forget that every fall southern Colorado basically turns into a giant spider singles bar.