Sofia Alonso-Mossinger, a University of Bristol student, received a shocking surprise when she opened her clothing package from Shein, a Chinese fast-fashion retailer. Instead of expected clothes, she found a live scorpion.
Thinking it was a toy, Alonso-Mossinger was shocked when it moved.
“I thought it was a toy, but then it moved,” Alonso-Mossinger recounted, describing the frightening encounter.
“I unzipped the outer packaging and saw something move and was like, what’s this?”
After discovering it was a scorpion, Alonso-Mossinger, 18, zipped up the bag containing a pair of boots, removed it from her room, and called her flatmates.
Her flatmates Phoebe Hunt and Oliver James told BBC that they rushed to her aid after hearing screams.
Hunt described the chaotic scene: “a live scorpion in a bag on her boots, noting that they weren’t “exactly buzzing to have a scorpion in the flat”.
Initially, Hunt suggested eliminating the scorpion, but the group opted for a humane approach.
James, a zoology student, carefully transferred the scorpion into a plastic container using kitchen tongs.
“It was nerve-wracking, not knowing its venom level,” James admitted.
The flatmates safely trapped the scorpion in a tub until an expert intervened.
They then provided the scorpion with water on a kitchen towel, which it drank immediately, and some cardboard for it to hide under before reaching out to animal groups.
Phoebe mentioned they initially contacted the RSPCA but realized it primarily handled cats and dogs, so they then reached out to the National Centre for Reptile Welfare (NCRW).
The charity was able to send someone over within a couple of hours.
Chris Newman from NCRW noted that reports of such stowaways were surprisingly common.
“The scorpion is Olivierus martensii; it doesn’t really have a common name other than Chinese scorpion,” he explained.
He added that its sting could be “medically significant… potentially life-threatening, but an average adult would just have a really bad day.”
He expressed concern that this was the second one they had encountered in less than a month that arrived this way.
Fortunately, there was no sting in the tail of this Scorpion.
Olekanma Favour is a resourceful, self-motivated, and result-driven writer with a passion for crafting compelling narratives and insightful content. She loves tackling complex topics and weaving engaging stories.
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