Fatalities from scorpion stings are uncommon, due to the species that occur in the country. As with all scorpions tings, children under the age fo 8 years old and the aged are at risk me life threatening symptoms/ In some regions where highly venomous scorpions are prevalent, children may be more vulnerable to severe reactions.
A long day's travel and simple supper behind Janet and me, it was time for ablutions. I flipped off my flops and stepped into the tent to get my UV light because I enjoy scorpion-hunting in the bark of Shingwedzi's mopanis. I stood for a moment orienting, shifted my feet – and felt an eruption of searing pain. I could not see what I had immediately surmised to be a scorpion. It must have hit me through the tent floor!
9am to 1pm, 16th May 2021, FREE! Eco-Anxiety Workshop presented by author, speaker and conservationist Jonathan Leeming. Organised by Friends Of Kloofendal Nature Reserve.
Scorpions are iconic and truly enigmatic creatures, more recognisable than any Hollywood movie star, yet the average person knows very little about them. Their reputation is steeped in mystery, misinformation and old wives tales, with mankind morbidly fixated upon just one aspect of their natural history; their venom.
There is a common question that is often asked when someone discovers a scorpion “Is it dangerous?”. We can all appreciate that driving a car down a busy street at 200km per hour is dangerous... Someone is going to get injured or killed. Sitting in a parked car in a parking lot is not dangerous.
In Southern Africa, the occurrence of high risk species of scorpion, is closely aligned with rural areas that often have little or no medical facilities. In these areas, traditional healers are a culturally significant, trusted and much valued service within the community. In more affluent, urban areas, for example, homoeopathy and naturopathy plays a similar […]
My work with venomous animals has taken me to faraway places, interacting with people from different languages, cultures, age groups, economic and education levels. However, despite these differences, there is a common perception shared across these dividing factors. It doesn’t matter if I am sitting under a tree in the Kalahari Desert chatting to the […]
It may be logical to think that all the symptoms of a sting are a direct result of the scorpion’s venomosity, but this is not the case. A sting from a highly venomous scorpion does not always result in class 3 or 4 symptoms, and a sting from a moderately venomous scorpion does not always […]
Scorpion identification can be tricky as a result of highly technical identification keys requiring an intimate understanding of these animals. The subject of formal scorpion identification is beyond the scope of this book, however, there are practical ways to identify scorpions which are sufficient for effective first response.
