IN Uitenhage se Vanes-woonbuurt is daar \u201cnuwe intrekkers\u201d wat hulle glad nie aan die streng inperkingsmaatre\u00ebls steur nie. In- woners van di\u00e9 gebied moet maar ligtrap vir di\u00e9 outjies, veral saans wanneer hulle aktief raak. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nou gons dit op die buurtwag-WhatsApp groep oor die middernagtelike \u201choogtrap\u201d om nie deur \u2019n inkommer skerpioen gesteek te word nie. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Die African Snakebite Institute het intussen di\u00e9 geleedpotige roofdiere op foto\u2019s wat aan hul gestuur is, as die dwerg dikstertskerpioen ge-\u00efdentifiseer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Karen Pienaar vertel hoe sy haarself n\u00e1 middernag wawyd wakker geskrik het toe sy in die huis op een van di\u00e9 skerpioene afgekom het.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn die meer as 40 jaar wat ek op Uitenhage bly, is dit die eerste lewende skerpioen wat ek hier sien. So twee Desembers gelede het ek \u2019n dooie een vroegoggend uit die swembad gehaal. Hy was naastenby dieselfde grootte, dalk \u2019n bietjie donkerder van kleur.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pienaar het \u2019n foto van die skerpioen wat sy in haar huis gekry het geneem en dit aan die African Snakebite Institute vir identifikasie gestuur. Johan Marais van die instituut het dit as \u2019n dwerg dikstertskerpioen ge\u00efdentifiseer en bygevoeg dat die spesie van nature in die noorde van Suid-Afrika voorkom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDie dwerg dikstertskerpioen pas maklik in \u2019n nuwe omgewing aan, want die meeste van hulle is wyfies en hulle kan self voortplant en hoef dus nie met \u2019n mannetjie te paar om klein-tjies te kry nie. So bou hulle hul eie kolonie skerpioene in \u2019n nuwe omgewing op,\u201d s\u00ea Marais. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDie rede hoekom hulle nou ook daar op Uitenhage voorkom, is dat \u2019n skerpioen waarskynlik saam met vuurmaakhout uit die noorde daar aangeland het.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Daar word ook na die skerpioene verwys as houtskerpioene omdat hulle baie gereeld houthope en boombas as hulle skuilings kies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Volgens Marais word die skerpioen se steek met di\u00e9 van \u2019n perdebysteek vergelyk. \u201cDit is nie gevaarlik nie, maar onaangenaam.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pienaar s\u00ea die dikstertskerpioen is \u201ceintlik \u2019n vreeslike koddige skepseltjie \u2014 nie naastenby so vreesaanjaend as wat ek my voorgestel het \u2018n skerpioen sou wees nie. Dis baie meer skrikwekkend om op \u2019n jagspinnekop af te kom.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pienaar het die skerpioen met \u2019n plastiekhouertjie en \u2019n deksel gevang.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSy was aanvanklik onwillig om te beweeg toe ek haar probeer nader hark. Na \u2019n bietjie oorreding het sy op die vloer geparadeer soos \u2019n koorleier met arms omhoog en ek het die houer bo-oor gesit en \u2019n vel papier onderdeur ge-stoot om haar in die houer te kry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sy het die skerpioen die volgende oggend in die oop veld oorkant haar huis vrygelaat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dit was nie Pienaar se eerste ontmoeting met \u2019n grillerige spesie nie. Sy het \u2018n paar jaar gelede op \u2019n uiters gevaarlike Kaapse kobra langs hulle huis afgekom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDis heel \u2019n ander storie. Die skerpioentjie was duidelik nie eers bewus van my teenwoordigheid nie, maar die Kaapse kobra was dadelik op sy perdjie. Hy is ook in \u2019n emmer gevang en hervestig \u2026 maar toe het ek die eksperts<\/span> ingekry vir die verwyderingstaak,\u201d s\u00ea Pienaar.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" IN Uitenhage se Vanes-woonbuurt is daar \u201cnuwe intrekkers\u201d wat hulle glad nie aan die streng inperkingsmaatre\u00ebls steur nie. In- woners van di\u00e9 gebied moet maar ligtrap vir di\u00e9 outjies, veral saans wanneer hulle aktief raak.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":50524,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_crsspst_to_novanewscoza":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozabloemnewsexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozacityvision":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozadistrictmailhelderberg":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaeikestadnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozahermanustimes":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakomani-karoo":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakougaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozamthathaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozanoordkaapbulletin":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapaarlpost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeoplespost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaswartlandgazette":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozatygerburger":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavistanews":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavrystaatkroon":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweskusnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweslander":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaworcesterstandard":false,"_eb_attr":"","_EventAllDay":"","_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":"","_EventShowMapLink":"","_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":"","_EventVenueID":"","_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":"","_VenueShowMapLink":"","_application":"","_batch_id":"","_company_name":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_company_website":"","_custom_id":"1bd1ad9f-c58f-4c60-b80d-d7ae5eb07b30","_EventDuration":"","_EventOrigin":"","_EventTimezoneAbbr":"","_featured":"","_filled":"","_job_expires":"","_job_location":"","_media_credit":"","_media_credit_url":"","_menu_item_menu_item_parent":"","_menu_item_object":"","_menu_item_object_id":"","_menu_item_target":"","_menu_item_type":"","_menu_item_url":"","_menu_item_xfn":"","_navis_media_can_distribute":"","_navis_media_credit_org":"","_OrganizerOrigin":"","_provider":"","_pum_built_in":"","_pum_default_theme":"","_pum_form_conversion_count":"","_remote_id":"","_remote_name":"","_remote_position":"","_report_frequency":"","_report_reference_dates":"","_send_attempts":"","_site_id":"","_sitemap_exclude":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_sitemap_priority":"","_source_url":"","_subscription_period":"","_subscription_period_interval":"","_subscription_price":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_template_type":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_tribe_aggregator_allow_multiple_organizers":"","_tribe_aggregator_content_type":"","_tribe_aggregator_file":"","_tribe_aggregator_finalized":"","_tribe_aggregator_hash":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_id":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_interactive":"","_tribe_aggregator_origin":"","_tribe_aggregator_post_status":"","_tribe_aggregator_preview":"","_tribe_aggregator_source_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_type":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_hide_attendees_list":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":"","_tribe_ticket_version":"","_type":"","_VenueOrigin":"","_wp_attachment_context":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","_wp_font_face_file":"","_wp_old_date":"","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_job_listing_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_nova_retailer":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_publication":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_tribe_events_cat":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-duration":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-rating":"","_menu_item_classes":[],"_tribe_modified_fields":[],"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":[],"_wp_suggested_privacy_policy_content":[],"_yoast_post_redirect_info":[],"_yoast_wpseo_video_meta":[],"activation_date":"","archive_insertion_is_repeating":"","archive_insertion_posts_count":"","article_feature_media":"","article_feature_type":"","article_main_image_caption":"","article_media_icon":"","article_template":"","author_byline":"Heilie Combrinck","background_color":"","block_editor":"","byline":"","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"","hide_border":"","icon":"","is_wp_suggestion":"","issuu_download_url":"","issuu_embed_url":"","language_version_url":"","large_border":"","name":"","nm_contact_name":"","nm_contact_number":"","nm_date_lost":"","no_overlay_background":"","node-url":"","obituary_born_date":"","obituary_died_date":"","obituary_memoriam_text":"","origin":"","overlay_color":"","overlay_opacity":"","overlay_size":"","placement":"","plural_label":"","post_author":"","post_id":"","post_language":"en","secret-key":"","sponsored_utm_campaign":"","sponsored_utm_content":"","sponsored_utm_medium":"","sponsored_utm_source":"","sponsored_utm_term":"","start_date":"","utm_suppression":"","video_embed_url":"","wp_pattern_sync_status":"","data_version":[],"enclosure":[],"pongrass_image":[],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-50522","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n