On the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Organization of African Unity, we are celebrating Africa Day on 25 May, which aims to raise awareness of the complex issues affecting the continent’s life, including armed conflict, poverty and, last but not least, climate change. On the occasion of this famous day, on behalf of the Debrecen Zoo, dr. Managing Director Gergely Sándor Nagy was pleased to announce that the collection – which includes an exceptionally high proportion of African species among Hungarian zoos – has recently been expanded with new special representatives of the continent’s wildlife. Following the already announced arrival of the marabou breeding pair, the Senegalese earbug team and the Sudanese zebra stallion, the palm house of the institution has now prospered again after a few years with the emperor scorpions. For the time being, the two newcomers from the Bratislava Zoo live behind the scenes, but from next week, visitors will be able to see them in their terrarium.
Native to the Congo Basin and West Africa, the imperial scorpion (Pandinus imperator) is one of the largest scorpion species in the world with an average body length of 20 cm. Unlike most of his relatives, he tolerates his comrades around him and only languishes in cannibalism when absolutely necessary; it basically feeds on termites and other insects, arachnids, and possibly lizards and mice.
To kill his prey, he mainly uses scissors that are large for his body size, as its venom is relatively weak (harmless to humans, for example). Its impressive appearance, ease of holding, and long 6-8 year lifespan make it popular with hobby keepers; as a result, individuals are collected en masse in the wild, making the species listed in Annex II of the Washington Convention (CITES), which provides protection against international trade.
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