Scorps On A Plane

I'm not sure whether this wouldn't be even worse than a snake:

The scorpion made it through security in Costa Rica in the passenger's backpack as he prepared to board the American Airlines flight headed for Toronto. The flight made its scheduled stopover in Miami and had taken off again for Toronto before the critter made its unwanted appearance.

But the scorpion was no pet - the man had been on a camping trip in the country with his brother when the arachnid crawled into his bag without him seeing it.

Then in mid-flight, the scorpion crawled out of the backpack and stung the man on the back of the knee.

After the plane landed the traveller was treated by paramedics. The scorpion was killed when it was captured, and animal control officers identified it as a non-lethal species.

Brrr...This story gives me a case of the screaming heebie-jeebies, invoking violent flashbacks of life in south Texas, where you just never knew when one of the little bastards would turn up. I was only ever stung the once (by one that climbed up my leg as I was simply standing on our driveway one day), but I was only saved on several occasions by paying attention to quick little flicks of yellowish brown seen out of the corner of my eye.

Pardon me while I have a good look round my desk and swat myself in the back and on the legs a few times.

Brrrrrrrrr!!!!

UPDATE: BTW, this also reminds me of a very funny bit in Waugh's Sword of Honor trilogy involving a witch doctor working for the War Department and a parcel of scorpions being delivered to him by hand of officer from out East somewhere.