An eleven-month old tarantula spider balances on a stick as an employee of an Athens pet shop observes it, April 10, 2002. [Greek sales of exotic animals such as snakes, spiders, crocodiles and iguanas have grown over the past two years. Sales of reptiles] alone grew more than 50 percent in 2000 compared to a year earlier, according to official figures and animal rights groups have expressed concerns over keeping such species as pets.