The stories about Scorpions at Ongar Station was one of the first articles I wrote for this website, and now it seems we have our proof at last!. It seems London’s underground network continues to surprise us with its unexpected wildlife passengers. The latest incident, involving a scorpion on the Victoria Line, certainly adds a new layer to the urban wildlife narrative.
As reported by the BBC, on the evening of April 6, at about 10:25 p.m., a commuter’s routine journey turned into a wildlife alert when a scorpion was discovered clinging menacingly to his bag. The unsuspecting passenger, who had been relaxing in a park earlier and had not ventured abroad, screamed for help, drawing immediate attention from the London Underground staff.
Quick-thinking workers managed to secure the scorpion in a ventilated plastic lunchbox until the British Transport Police took over. The scorpion, identified by the Natural History Museum as a member of the venomous Centruroides genus, was then safely transported to ZSL London Zoo.
At the zoo, experts like Craig Walker highlighted the deceptive danger of such small creatures, pointing out that “the very venomous ones are often very small”. This Centruroides scorpion, speculated to have hitched a ride from the United States, is part of a group known for their potent sting.
This bizarre find underscores the unexpected encounters that can emerge in the most routine places. No one was injured, thankfully, but a discovery like this is just another day in Strange Britain.