ONE of the world’s rarest spiders can now be found at Askham Bryan Wildlife Park as part of a conservation breeding programme to help protect the species.

The Wildlife Park is based at Askham Bryan College, York, and has joined the European Endangered Species Programme for the Desertas wolf spider, found on the Deserta Grande Island near Madeira.

The spiders were bred as part of the programme at Bristol Zoo and now more than four dozen spiderlings have been safely delivered to the college.

Student Ryan Stringer, 20, is studying the species as part of his Zoo Management dissertation.