As part of the Zoo Education team here at Busch Gardens, I get the chance to work with a variety of different animals. However, that doesn’t mean that I am comfortable handling all of them.
A Two Toed-Sloth with 3 inch claws? No sweat.
A parrot with 800 pounds of pressure per square inch in his beak? No problem.
A 14 foot, 100 pound Burmese Python? Bring it on.
A tiny Flat Rock Scorpion that fits in the palm of my hand? Ok, now I'm nervous.
First, let me dispel some myths about these arachnids. The sting of this little guy is no worse than a bee sting and they are actually reluctant to use it in most cases. So why am I being so silly, right?
With Howl-O-Scream just around the corner, I have become determined to get past my hesitation and have asked our resident creepy crawly expert, Michelle, to help me.
We have one adult and one juvenile Flat Rock Scorpion. They are endemic to Southern Africa and get their name from hiding between flat rocks during the heat of the day. Today, I let Michele place the adult on my hand. (The animal care team works with them everyday so that they are calm when being handled.) Michelle initially picks them up by scooping her hand underneath their body. You will be proud to know that I didn't squeal or say “ew” once.
I think it will take a little while before I am totally confident holding them, but I am determined to do it. Next step is picking them up all by me.
Come see me this Howl-O-Scream at Conservation Station. Maybe I will be holding a Scorpion.
