November 8th 2010 - Snakes, scorpions and crows oh my

The last week or so has been quite busy, so I apologize about the gap in the updates.  I’ve had a few odd things that I’ve wanted to feature and of course by the time the day is over and I’m able to post, I’ve long forget my earth shattering post.  Thankfully, this time, I remember something that I wanted to share.

The wildlife here in Afghanistan is definitely different than it is back home.   

Some of the wildlife is seasonal but some is here year round.  A daily routine when you are here is to shake out your boots before you put them on in the morning.  Things that you don’t want to be in your boots have a habit of taking refuge in them while you sleep.  What might be in there would probably be a snake or scorpion. 

Luckily,  the fall/winter is not prime snake or scorpion season, so the chance is slim that you will see something, but every morning I shake out my boots.  To be truthful, if I shook out my boots and a scorpion dropped out, I would probably scream like a little girl.  Don’t ask me what I’d do next because I don’t have a clue!  Do you step on the scorpion?  Oh wait, you don’t have your boots on.  Do you squish it with something?  Do you spray it with bug spray (not like I have any).  The technical answer is that you call vector control so they can take care of it.

The next thing up is snakes.  This country is home to some of the most dangerous snakes in the world, from cobras, to vipers, to kraits.  When I first got here and the snakes were still somewhat active there were posters up all over announcing that a new snake was found.  It usually went something like this:

On 24 August a (insert deadly snake here) was found outside building 1234.  Be on the lookout and use your flashlight at night.  If you see a snake stay 6’ away, keep your eyes on it, and call vector control.  

Now, I always ask myself how the heck am I supposed to A) keep my eyes on the snake and B) call vector control if I’m supposed to babysit some deadly snake?  There are also other posters on the FOB  going over the snakes that are found in our area, if there is anti-venom available, and how likely you are to croak if you are bitten.   

From what I’m told, our area is not home to a lot of scorpions, but they do occasionally find them here.  I don’t think they have any of the nasty deadly scorpions but we can add them to the list of nasty creatures here.

Next up on the nasty list is the mosquito.  Afghanistan has over 3 million cases of malaria a year.  Our base in particular has one of highest malaria rates in the country (our province has one of the highest rates among the population).  I haven’t seen a mosquito since I’ve been here, but I’m sure that will change in the spring/summer.  We are issued doxycycline as a malar prophylaxis, so that means every day we take our “malaria” pill.  Our uniforms are also treated with permethrin to help as well.  I’m happy to say that I’ve done a great job taking my daily dose.  Every night everyone reminds each other to take their medicine.  Personally, I’d rather have a good old fashioned gin and tonic (with quinine in the tonic) like the British had while they were in India as well as here.

There is also some strange mammal in the area.  I’ve only seen it briefly from a distance.  It has a strange call, kind of like a coyote.  No idea what it is…

There is also some really annoying and smart crows.  I’ve been trying to figure out what specie it is, and my best guess is a House Crow.  They hang around the dumpsters and trashcans on the FOB.  Often times they’ll root around in the trash and make a real mess.  I think that the Afghan kids use them for stone throwing practice because they fly away if you bend down to pick up a rock, wind up like you are throwing a rock, or if you fake throw at them.  

From what I’ve been told, the local kids are such good shots with rocks they’ll actually throw rocks, knock the crow out, and then carry around the unconscious raven like a toy.  If I ever see this, I’ll get a picture.  On a side note, a flock of crows is properly called a murder. 

Once again, this country never ceases to amaze me.