Getty Image
The average zoo is filled to the brim with animals with the potential to inflict some serious harm on anyone who’s unlucky enough to encounter them in the wild.
Of course, you usually don’t need to worry about ending up on the receiving end of a bite from a venomous snake or getting attacked by a carnivorous big cat unless you make the ill-advised decision to follow in the footsteps of the people who’ve decided it’s a good idea to roam into their habitats.
However, based on what one MLS player was recently forced to endure, you never know what threats are going to end up lurking outside of their enclosures.
According to TMZ, Inter Miami goalkeeper Nick Marsman recently made the trek to a zoo in Florida with his family only to end up in the hospital for an extended stay after he was bitten by a poisonous spider at some point during his visit.
Earlier this week, Marsman’s wife Nathalie den Dekker—who was crowned Miss Netherlands in 2012—shared a few photographs chronicling the aftermath of the incident on her Instagram Stories with a caption that read “The downside of living in a tropical climate… is when you go to the zoo and get bitten by a poisonous spider. End up being hospitalized for three days.”
It’s unclear what species of spider Marsman encountered at the unnamed zoo (a widow spider would be the most likely culprit, although Florida is home to a smaller population of recluse spiders with the potential to pack a similar punch), but the bite was severe enough to force him to remain in the hospital for three days before he was discharged.
As a result, Marsman may not be in the net when Inter Miami faces off against Philadelphia Union over the weekend, although it’s safe to assume he’ll be ready to go by the time Lionel Messi makes his grand debut for the club next month.