Boy receives deadly live scorpion in mail by mistake

A deadly poisonous live scorpion was recently delivered to a 10-year-old boy in Germany instead of a dead one preserved in acrylic, a reptile reception centre near Munich reported on Wednesday.
The scorpion, from the species Androctonus australis, which is endemic to North Africa and South Asia, has one of the most powerful poisons ever, the centre said.
Keeping the species is banned in Germany.
It is reported to be responsible for several deaths annually in the desert regions where it lives.
The boy had intended to extend his collection of scorpions preserved in acrylic and enlisted his mother’s support in ordering one over the internet.
But while unpacking the parcel at their home outside Munich, they realised the scorpion was still alive.
A statement by the centre, where the scorpion has been housed since last week said: “If they had opened the box, there was a real risk that the child or the mother would have been stung. And, left untreated, could even have led to death”.