CBS News
Stowaway scorpion makes its way from Kenya to Ireland in woman’s bag
An Irish woman who recently traveled to Kenya discovered an unpleasant surprise nearly two weeks after she returned home — a scorpion had made the journey of over 4,000 miles in her luggage.
James Hennessey, from Ireland’s National Reptile Zoo, said in a radio appearance on Ireland’s RTÉ Radio One that the woman and her family called the zoo for help once they realized they had the venomous guest.
“The person came back from Kenya two weeks ago, and they were in their bedroom and they’d done what we all do, they left their bag in the corner, unpacked the stuff and didn’t bother with the bag and decided to go have a look at the bag and move it, lifted it up and something moved on the floor underneath it, and there was this little tiny scorpion sitting there in the bedroom, in the, I think it was the shag pile type rug,” Hennessey explained.
Hennessey said that the bag had been in the corner for 12 days before the stowaway was spotted.
National Reptile Zoo
The family “freaked out at first,” Hennessey said, allowing the scorpion to “do a legger” and get away. It disappeared underneath a bed, Hennessey said. That’s when the family called him.
“They called us then straight away, said we found a scorpion under the bag and now we don’t know where it is. I think they kind of pulled the house apart, they put on big heavy gloves, the whole family got involved, pulled the house apart and found it I think under the bed and managed to get it into a little Tupperware container,” Hennessey said.
The zoo has identified the creature as a Fisher’s Fat Tailed Scorpion. Hennessey wrote on social media that the arachnid is now “safe and sound (and very secure!)” in the zoo’s venomous unit.
He told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland that such a find is “not unusual.”
“It’s not common, but it’s not unusual,” Hennessey said. “It tends to be mostly geckos and we do get quite a few scorpions. Very occasionally some frogs and sometimes some snakes.”
Thanks for reading CBS NEWS.
Create your free account or log in
for more features.
CBS News
Kamala Harris will speak with “60 Minutes” tomorrow. Here’s what to know for the interview.
Voters will get the chance to hear from Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday as she presents her case for why she should be president in a “60 Minutes” election special.
For decades, “60 Minutes” has featured both Republican and Democratic nominees for presidents, but this year, former President Donald Trump backed out after previously indicating he would be on the show. Correspondent Scott Pelley, who’d been set to interview Trump, will instead travel to Arizona’s Maricopa County, home to more than 60% of Arizona’s voters and a critical battleground in a key swing state.
One thing is certain about the election; with the U.S. deeply involved in both the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, whoever wins on Nov. 5 will become a wartime president.
What Harris will discuss
Israel’s war started one year ago after Hamas launched a surprise terror attack and correspondent Bill Whitaker will discuss the ongoing war with Harris.
Harris will also discuss the economy, immigration, her record as vice president and the differences between herself and Trump.
Democratic vice presidential candidate Gov. Tim Walz will also appear.
Whitaker joined the Democratic ticket on the campaign trail this week to gain insight into their platform’s priorities and values, and what the candidates believe voters should know.
Why Trump pulled out of the “60 Minutes” interview
Leading up to the candidate hour, Trump, through campaign spokespeople, was the first candidate to accept the “60 Minutes” request to be interviewed for the special, according to CBS News. It had been agreed that both candidates would receive equal time during the broadcast.
Trump last sat down with 60 Minutes in 2020. He walked out during the interview with Lesley Stahl. Trump referenced the incident on Tuesday night at a Milwaukee press conference when asked about his decision not to participate in the Oct. 7 “60 Minutes” election special.
“Well, right now, I went to – they came to me and would like me to do an interview, but first I want to get an apology, because the last time I did an interview with them, if you remember, they challenged me on the computer,” Trump said. “They said the ‘laptop from hell’ was from Russia, and I said it wasn’t from Russia. It was from Hunter, and I never got an apology, so I’m sort of waiting. I’d love to do ’60 Minutes.’ I do everything.”
The Republican nominee for president emphasized that he felt he was owed an apology from “60 Minutes.”
“Let’s see if they do it. I wouldn’t mind doing 60,” Trump continued. “I’ve done ’60 Minutes’ a lot.”
In a statement on Tuesday, Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung said that Trump’s team had not agreed to an interview.
“Fake News,” Cheung said in a post on X. “60 Minutes begged for an interview, even after they were caught lying about Hunter Biden’s laptop back in 2020. There were initial discussions, but nothing was ever scheduled or locked in. They also insisted on doing live fact checking, which is unprecedented.”
Previous Trump, Harris appearances on 60 Minutes
Trump previously sat down with “60 Minutes'” Mike Wallace in 1985, Pelley in 2015 and Lesley Stahl twice in 2016, first in July of that year and then again in November of 2016. He also spoke with Stahl again in 2018 and 2020.
Harris previously sat down with Whitaker last year. She also was interviewed by Norah O’Donnell, “CBS Evening News” anchor and “60 Minutes” contributing correspondent, in 2020.
How to watch the “60 Minutes” election special
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.