Please kill the scorpions

Stacey Kirk at Stuff reports:

A venomous snake, spiders and a pair of scorpions are just some of the serious biosecurity hazards to have breached New Zealand’s borders in the past four years.

But of the 546 incursions recorded, only 176 have prompted officials to move to eradicate the pests, figures released by the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) under the Official Information Act show.

A large species of diamond python discovered in Auckland is one off 54 incursions recorded so far this year. It is unclear where the python came from, but the snake was destroyed.

A common brown snake, considered to be the second most venomous land snake in the world and native to Australia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, was dealt with after being found in Mid-Canterbury this year.

Biosecurity officials’ attention had been called to Mid-Canterbury four years earlier when a marbled scorpion, native to Australia, was found there. A second marbled scorpion was also found in the Otago Lakes District that year.

Biosecurity officials did not move to eradicate the scorpions but the MPI said in cases where pests weren’t part of a breeding colony or posed no risk to New Zealand’s ecosystem, no action was taken.

Can I propose a new policy for the Government. That they kill all scorpions on sight!

Yes, I know a lone scorpion can not breed and will eventually die. But I’d rather not be bitten by one of the little critters before it dies.

And yes I know the marbled scorpion’s bite is not fatal. But I’d still rather not be bitten by one.