Story By: Juan Fenandez Mayes, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Newsflash
This fashionably young woman has been stung by a scorpion she found inside a handbag she bought from Chinese online giant AliExpress.
The incident occurred in the municipality of Algemesi in the Spanish autonomous community of Valencia on Monday, 21st September.
The Spanish woman who purchased the bag, identified only by her first name Judith, was stung by a mottled scorpion (Mesobuthus eupeus) which was inside a handbag she bought from the popular shopping platform after she removed the plastic.
The animal stung her left thumb when she placed it inside to check the size of the handbag. She threw it onto her bed when she felt the sudden pain and saw the little critter scurry in her sheets.
Judith spoke with local paper ‘Levante-EMV’ and said she and her brother “placed it in a glass” and took pictures.
The snaps show the scorpion that stung Judith. In some pictures, the Spanish woman is seen holding it in a jar while others show clear views of the animal before being put in the jar.
She went to a local hospital after the swelling in her hand continued to get worse. Doctors administered medication to help with the inflammation and pain.
They then waited to hear from experts from the nearby Valencia Bioparc zoo to help identify the scorpion and find the best way to treat it.
The experts reportedly told her that the scorpion was fortunately of the smaller less lethal kind.
Judith said: “The doctor told me I was very lucky because if I had been allergic, he was sure I would not have had time to even get to the hospital.”
The victim has reported the incident to the Spanish National Police upon the doctor’s recommendation “to alert others so it does not happen again”.
It has been suggested to her to place the scorpion in alcohol after it dies for its preservation in case it is needed as evidence for a legal process.
Judith said she contacted AliExpress seeking an explanation, however, was only told: “Sorry. We have the PE [polyethene] bags to protect the bag, so the scorpion was already inside since the beginning.”
They apparently placed the responsibility on the manufacturer but did not offer any further information on how she could contact them to file a formal complaint.
Scorpions can live months with little food and oxygen which explains how the small animal could have survived hidden inside the plastic for the entire trip and while in storage.
There have been no further reports.
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