I'd only ever seen one, very small one on BCI before today, which I'm generally quite thankful for. I have to say that it was beautiful (hopefully I'll have tracked down some photos of it by tomorrow--I didn't have my camera nearby). However, it posed an interesting conundrum: what do you do with a very dangerous animal that is hanging out in an area where people in flip-flops and bare legs are walking at all times of day? Most places in Panama, you'd just kill it, but that seems somewhat inappropriate in a nature reserve. . . So, do you behead the fer-de-lance on your front steps? or try to move it, and put the unlucky person who draws the short straw at risk as they try to move it?
Monday, April 13, 2009
An unwelcome guest
This morning brought more excitement than I'm generally interested in before my coffee. It came in the form of a 1 meter fer-de-lance (Bothrops asper) sunning himself (herself?) outside my room. Fer-de-lance are highly venomous and have the reputation for being quite aggressive. Take a look here if you want nightmares: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tissue_necrosis_following_bite_from_Bothrops_asper_PLoS_Medicine.jpg
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2 comments:
The picture of the boy's leg on the link was frightful!!
I dont know what i'd do if i met up with one of those snakes! ugh
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