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Critters and Creatures while camping ?


Frederic

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I've recently read a few stories on the net of people that encountered spiders, snakes, and scorpions during their camping trips. Even a British expat that got stung in 2013 by a black scorpion:

https://www.thenational.ae/business/travel-and-tourism/british-expat-in-uae-warns-campers-after-scorpion-sting-left-him-in-a-coma-1.477595

When i go camping with friends and family, we always keep a close watch on our surroundings. A few months back i was in Al Qudra late in the evening and was surprised to see a humongous creature which to this day i am not fully sure if it was a big camelspider or desert scorpion. It was easily 15 cm long and pretty fat. I quickly walked back to the car and did not return on my steps :)

What are your experiences, stories, and hints that we can take along on our next trips ?

- UV Lights ?

- Boots ?

- How to train children to avoid lifting stones and searching in crevices or rocks.

TIA

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"Go as far as you can see; once you get there, you'll be able to see further."

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If bitten by one, then kill and take it with you for antidote as there are hundreds of different antidote for spiders and scorpions and first thing hospital will ask you which type of creature was that - shape, color, and size. If you can't kill take a photo, if you cant take a photo record in voice message how exactly you have seen as after a while your memory will lose the details that can help the doctor.

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Having worked and spent many a nights in the desert during my tenure as  Desert Safari guide.Ive pretty much seen it all and even captured some and brought them home!

In no particular order and not a complete list. Snakes of all kinds, Scorpions black and sand coloured, Camel spiders, silverfish, dhabs, lizards, weird bugs and beetles of all kind, crawling and flying even got bit by a red oriental wasp! deers, gazelles, oryx, gerboas so on and so forth.

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17 minutes ago, Barry said:

Are there venomous snakes here? Also same question but spiders?

I used to think this was just a wasteland but I’m constantly surprised by some of the weird things I see when I’m out and about. 

You'd be surprised how much life the barren desert has. And yes, the side winder, horned viper, saw scale, carpet vipers and plenty more venomous snakes, . Hell Ive seen water snakes out in the Hatta Fools. Not to mentions tons of frogs and tadpoles there too. 

And all spiders are venomous just how deadly their venom is a different story. Other than the imported ozzy red back spider, used to be often found in homes because they hitched a ride with the ozzy expats I can't remember if their is a deadly to human to indigenous spider here.

Camel Spiders are actually a species of scorpions which do not have a stinger or any venom. If I remember correctly. But nasty looking creatures and often very quick and seem to attack you, but actually just looking for shade to hide under, but can be a scary experience for some with a nasty big bug charging towards you, they pretty fast, ask me how I know!

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  • 2 years later...
On 8/20/2018 at 10:29 PM, Frederic said:

I've recently read a few stories on the net of people that encountered spiders, snakes, and scorpions during their camping trips. Even a British expat that got stung in 2013 by a black scorpion:

https://www.thenational.ae/business/travel-and-tourism/british-expat-in-uae-warns-campers-after-scorpion-sting-left-him-in-a-coma-1.477595

When i go camping with friends and family, we always keep a close watch on our surroundings. A few months back i was in Al Qudra late in the evening and was surprised to see a humongous creature which to this day i am not fully sure if it was a big camelspider or desert scorpion. It was easily 15 cm long and pretty fat. I quickly walked back to the car and did not return on my steps :)

What are your experiences, stories, and hints that we can take along on our next trips ?

- UV Lights ?

- Boots ?

- How to train children to avoid lifting stones and searching in crevices or rocks.

TIA

I'm surprised this post received relative little interest. I'm quite interested into understanding how we can prevent serious consequences. I'll open a new post on the same. Meanwhile a suggestion I was given is to carry a bottle of diesel, and make a circle around the camp to repel snakes and critters alike. I don't particularly like to approach. Any alternative? 

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5 minutes ago, Sergio Big Dawg said:

I'm surprised this post received relative little interest. I'm quite interested into understanding how we can prevent serious consequences. I'll open a new post on the same. Meanwhile a suggestion I was given is to carry a bottle of diesel, and make a circle around the camp to repel snakes and critters alike. I don't particularly like to approach. Any alternative? 

 

"Go as far as you can see; once you get there, you'll be able to see further."

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