A woman from the German state of Hesse found a scorpion in a package that, according to police, stung her. A neighbor of the woman alerted the officers. When they arrived on scene, the 25-year-old was already in hospital. Police also found the scorpion already killed.
The incident took place on October 30, a police spokesperson said. The animal was in a package from an online mail order company and the scorpion was probably packaged in China. The woman was treated at Marburg University Hospital.
Not the first animal stowaway in a package
The first media to report on the incident was “Amal Frankfurt”, a news platform for refugees. According to the report, the woman ordered from online retailer Shein. It’s not the first time the company has made headlines for its animal freight: just in October, a young British woman discovered a scorpion during a delivery.
The included scorpion can be seen here:
Dead animal should help doctors with treatment
According to the police spokesperson, the officers asked a family member to bring the killed scorpion there so that doctors could better assess the appropriate treatment. According to the report that the woman published on the internet, she suffered from swelling as a result of the sting.
Scorpion stings are an absolute rarity in Germany
Such cases are rare in Germany, as Andreas Stürer, clinical toxicologist and head of the Poisons Information Center for Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, based at the University Hospital in Mainz, said. Of the 800,000 cases reported to the poison control center over the past thirty years, only about 132 were scorpion stings. Most patients subsequently remained symptom-free, although some experienced mild symptoms such as local swelling. Circulatory problems are less common, but can also be caused by shock.
Mysterious scorpion discovery in Marburg apartment
Only in August was a scorpion discovered in an apartment in the Schröck district of Marburg. A man caught the animal and then alerted police, who took the scorpion to an animal shelter. According to an initial assessment, it was a poisonous specimen. A sting from him would have had similar consequences to that of a bee, it was said at the time. It was initially unclear how the scorpion was able to enter the apartment.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
