A sting in the tale
Sarel would like to thank Mr Leeming for taking the time to visit our school.
On August 17, Jonathan Leeming paid a surprise visit to Sarel Cilliers. He is Southern Africa’s authority on Spiders and Scorpions, natural history author and conservationist, and made time in his busy schedule to talk to Sarel’s Wessa learners.
He is a wonderful speaker, full of humour, sharing interesting titbits and kept the learners thoroughly entertained. His presentation on scorpions was both educational and inspirational.
The presentation dealt with the importance of scorpions in ecosystem, what they eat, how to tell male from female and venomous from non-venomous, what habitats they live in (some even live in trees!) and how they reproduce.
Most importantly, Jonathan’s mission in life is to work towards a better understanding and tolerance of these misunderstood creatures and made sure that we had a more positive attitude towards his eight-legged friends.
Londeka Mhlongo says, “Learning about scorpions was a dream come true. To have someone who knows about wildlife come to our school was priceless. I do not have words to describe how grateful I am to have had this opportunity to learn from an expert.”
According to Siphesihle Mambo, she never knew that not all scorpions were venomous. “I am surprised that many species are non-venomous and I could not believe my eyes when I saw a video clip of a volunteer being stung by a scorpion. Apparently it hurts very much! If you are not an expert like Mr Leeming, you better not try it. It could be dangerous if you do not know the scorpion.”
Sarel would like to thank Mr Leeming for taking the time to visit our school. It made a huge impact on the learners and we cannot wait for the next visit!
