News / Scorpion
Student finds scorpion in Shein parcel
A Bristol student was not delighted at the contents of her Shein parcel.
Apart from the boots she ordered, Sofia Alonso-Mossinger was greeted by what she initially thought was a “toy” only to discover it was a live scorpion.
The 18-year-old student told BBC News: “I unzipped the outer packaging and saw something move and was like, what’s this?”
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It is suspected that the scorpion was a Olivierus martensii, more commonly called a Chinese scorpion
Alonso-Mossinger soon dashed out of her room screaming and summoning her flatmates.
Phoebe Hunt, another University of Bristol student who lives with Alonso-Mossinger, admitted that it was “not exactly buzzing to have a scorpion in the flat”.
The group of students, led by their flatmate Oliver James, gathered courage and moved the spiny intruder to a plastic container with kitchen tongs.
They soaked water on a kitchen towel that the scorpion immediately gulped down before hiding under a card.
The students contacted a few charities, before making it through to the National Centre for Reptile Welfare who then collected the scorpion in a few hours.
Recalling what seems like a “funny incident” now, Alonso-Mossinger said: “I thought I was dreaming.
“I feel like I am all right with spiders and things but it was scary being in my room with a random scorpion!”
Shein told Bristol24/7 they are “investigating” the incident but “haven’t got any conclusive answers yet”.
All photos: Sofia Alonso-Moossinger
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