WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE |

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
Name: America's 1st Sgt.
Posting date: 5/11/09
Stationed in: Iraq   
Milblog: Castra Praetoria
Email: castrapraetoria1@gmail.com

During my previous deployment to Iraq I had to contend with all types of exotic creatures which made our lives that much more interesting. These included mosquitoes which extracted blood by the pint, chupacabra sightings which turned out to be feral cats living in our garbage can, and an army of mice which could chew through armored bulkheads if they thought something edible was on the other side.

This trip I have had to contend with swarms of gnats which blow into your face like a winged tornado. The phenomenon becomes quite interesting during physical exercise. So far I have only swallowed seven of them. It is a far more pleasant experience than keeping your mouth firmly closed and snorting one up a nostril though. Trust me.

As spring moves into summer, we expect to see an increase in snake activity. Among the various neuro and hemotoxic fiends which inhabit the area are the Desert Black Snake, the Persian Sand Viper, and the Blunt-Nosed Viper (look closely at boot, below). All come equipped with a full range of lethality, not unlike your average Marine.

Also available are the nocturnal joys of the local arachnid population. My favorite is the Death Stalker Scorpion. This creature lives throughout Iraq and we are told is very neurotoxic. Fortunately for humanity it is only “relatively aggressive." Not a trait I admire in predators, but for my own safety I’ll take what I can get.

At night here on Al Assad you can hear the din of strange creatures cavorting about. Some have assumed wild dogs are roaming the area. Others suppose they are coyotes of some kind. The other night one of these lurking nightmares was caught in a live trap by animal control on base.

That friends, is a wild striped hyena. It looks like some ferocious space dog thing which may have attacked Captain Kirk in an old Star Trek episode. Here is another picture from Wiki:

Seems there is a pack of these creatures prowling the base. Here is some video:

 

When I leave the company office at night, I now do it at a full sprint.

Comments

[James]

Well crap, that's much worse than Texas.

Keep it together buddy and don't get bit. We're rooting for y'all to get home asap.

[Greta]

And I was complaining about gnats tonight.

[Kathy B]

Those are some fearsome beasts. Better to know ahead of time the non-human dangers. Wow - and yes double time from office when you go. And leave no boot on its side :>)

[AZ Angel]

LOL, don't run, that might give them a reason to chase!!!!!

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