Risks in Iraq – Animals, reptiles and Insects – Part 3 (spiders,scorpions,insects)

I have already gone into detail in my last post about poisonous snakes, however there are also dangerous spiders to be aware of which are often more difficult to notice due to their size and tendency to find hidden corners in rooms or behind furniture. There are other arachnids to be concerned with in Iraq however and I will be covering them in this post.

1. Poisonous spiders

2. Camel Spiders

One of the scarier spiders, which doesn’t actually fall under the arachnid family, but rather is a cousin of the Scorpion, is the very scary and ugly camel spider. These can grow to a ridiculous size and for arachnophobia sufferers, can only be described as a nightmare. Luckily these are not seen too often and when they are spotted, they tend to be dead already.

3. Scorpions
Scorpions are rife in Iraq. All over camp during certain months, you will see at least 2-3 large ones during a shift, and at least 4-5 baby scorpions per night walking around camp. This isn’t so much a problem since the PPE footwear and even normal shoes will protect you, however when they start wandering into the rooms you have problems.

Companies should keep anti venom, have processes and procedures in place in order to deal with bites and have a procedure with a local hospital in place. Additionally, regular emails should be sent to staff reminding staff of the dangers.

Insects & Other

when it comes to insects and other creatures, it’s comforting to know that most of them aren’t going to potentially kill you, nonetheless, many of the insects in question can be quite annoying to staff either whilst working out on site or taking a walk in the evening or finding them in the rooms.

1. Locust
Locust can be found flying all over camp and landing on you whilst you are out walking or working but what is more surprising is the amount of them that manage to find their way into your room in the middle of the night. You can hear them jumping and walking around the room.

2. Flies

Flies can be an absolute nightmare during certain months. They get in the canteen and crawl all over the food, land on your face whilst you try to eat and generally make it miserable to try and eat. They also manage to get into transport vehicles making any journey very frustrating as you fight to keep the flies out of your ears or eyes.

3. Mosquitos

whilst mosquitos aren’t dangerous the bites they give people leave very large bite marks which are itchy and annoying when you are trying to focus on work. They tend not to be in the rooms too often which is positive but if you try to go for a walk during the summer in the evenings there is a good chance you will end up bitten.

4. Ants

Ants always manage to find a way into rooms. No matter how much you spray the room or keep the room tidy and free of crumbs, they still manage to find their way into the toilet or room. Often this isn’t a big issue however if they get into the room at night and you need to spray them, you end up being unable to sleep due to the fumes of the spray.

5. Cockroaches

Whilst I haven’t noticed too many cockroaches in my room, they are definitely present around the camp and although the majority are quite small, I have seen some absolute beasts that I really wouldn’t be pleased with if I found them in my room.

6. Frogs

Due to the area we are working in being marshland there are a vast amount of frogs around site and camp. This is a major positive for insect control.

7. Lizards and ghekos

Again, like frogs, the more lizards and ghekko seen around camp the better the insect control.

8. Hedgehogs

The presence of hedgehogs in Iraq was a surprise to many of us in the camps. It’s not uncommon to see at least one hedgehog a day. One of the unfortunate things about hedgehogs getting into camp is that they can often get caught in traps set out for dangerous insects or rats. This is something many employees work on avoiding.

9. Ticks

Ticks are rampant during certain times of year and employees need to be very careful with these insects. They are small and can go unnoticed however if they manage to bite into you, there are a number of diseases they can transmit which needs to be checked out by a doctor.

10. Others

Aside from the insects mentioned above, there area an abundance of interesting insects such as stick insects and beetles. Very often however you will come across insects that are not easy to identify such as the insect in the below picture (no doubt people in certain countries will be familiar with them, but certainly in most parts of northern and Central Europe they are not present.

Risks in Iraq – Animals, reptiles and Insects – Part 2 (snakes)

Unfortunately for people working in Iraq, there are a number of snakes that are often seen around the sites and inside camps. Worse still is the fact that many of the species found in Iraq are poisonous

Saw-Scaled Viper ( Echis carinatus )
The smallest of Iraq’s vipers, the saw-scaled viper rarely exceeds 2 feet and averages only about 18 to 20 inches. It is highly variable in color and pattern. Typically it has a brown or tan ground color, although it may also be gray or reddish. The snake’s dorsum has one to three rows of dark blotches with light centers. The snake may be striped or display a wave pattern on the sides. Perhaps the most reliable way to quickly distinguish the saw-scale from other vipers in Iraq is the presence of the characteristic arrow-shaped marking on the top of the head.

The fiery little saw-scale is blamed for more deaths annually than any other species in the world. The bite of this snake has been known to cause massive internal hemorrhaging and bleeding from all bodily orifices (not a snake to mess around with).

Desert Horned Viper (Cerastes cerastes)
The desert horned viper is a thick-bodied snake that averages approximately 20 inches and rarely exceeds 2 feet in length. Typically a smooth, bony horn extends above each eye, although one or both may be absent. Ground color is variable from light gray and brown to yellowish. Dark blotches extend the length of the back.

This snake is fond of loose sand, and it can disappear into the sand in a matter of seconds. When buried, only the eyes, nostrils and horns remain above the surface. Sidewinding is its preferred method of movement. Foraging occurs chiefly at night, and prey consists of lizards and small rodents.

Bites from the desert horned viper show hemotoxic effects and have great tissue-damaging qualities.

Lebetine Viper (Macrovipera lebetina)
Also known as the Levantine or blunt-nosed viper, Macrovipera lebetina is a large and attractive species that can reach lengths in excess of 6 feet.

Field’s Sand Viper (Pseudocerastes persicus fieldi) and Persian Horned Viper (P. p. persicus)
Two subspecies occur in Iraq. The Field’s sand viper occurs in western Iraq, and the Persian sand viper is found in the eastern and central portions of the country. Both subspecies prefer semi-arid conditions with combinations of sandy and rocky terrain.

Pseudocerastes persicus is a heavy and slow-moving species. Typically nocturnal or crepuscular, it may sometimes be found resting in shrubs during daylight hours. Bites seem to be relatively infrequent. When they do occur, symptoms display a nasty blend of hemotoxic and neurotoxic effects.

Kurdistan Viper (Vipera raddei kurdistanica)
In Iraq, this species is known to occur only in a small region of the northeast. The Kurdistan viper is a montane species that prefers rocky slopes in higher elevations (4,000 feet plus).

Desert Cobra (Walterinnesia aegyptia) 
Like most cobras, it is easily adaptable to various habitats. But locations occupied by humans are a particular favourite where shelter and rodents are on offer. Whilst this glossy snake does not actively seek confrontation, it can move with lethal speed when provoked. . The effect of the venom on humans is not known, but presumed to be dangerous. This is the commonest and most widespread cobra in the Middle East.

The desert cobra, or “desert blacksnake,” is the only species of the family Elapidae occurring naturally in Iraq. That being said, non-native cobra species from throughout the Middle East are sometimes imported for showman activities and could potentially be encountered in Iraq

A typical Warning email from HSE regarding snakes :

Solutions

For companies operating or constructing in Iraq, access and agreements with local hospitals that hold anti venom and that meet minimum company standards  should be in place. Alternatively and probably preferably, anti venom should be stocked on company site and staff trained to administer.

Additional controls should be in place to protect employees such as ensuring PPE is provided, HSE induction training is provided that deals with working and regular checks are in place to ensure no snakes are in the vicinity of the work area.

Risks in Iraq – Animals, reptiles and Insects – Part 1 (dogs,cats,mice,fox)

This is more of an entertaining blog post as I plan to discuss some of the rather unpleasant creatures that you can find around the site and whilst I will be outlining the various types of creatures that employees on site need to be aware of (and that companies need to manage appropriately), I will also be covering how some of these can actually cause a loss of power or damage to equipment. 

Part 1 covers dogs, cats, mice and desert foxes whilst part 2 covers snakes and part 3 covers spiders, scorpions and insects.

Stray dogs

There are a surprising number of stray dogs around the site. Often this is welcome for employees on site and many will have a little play with them or give them some water or food during the hotter months. However there are some risks to having stray dogs around site, especially in a country with many diseases still present that we are not used to in the west.

Perhaps the biggest risk is that of rabies. With so many stray dogs and rabies known to be present in Iraq, there is a risk of a dog bite leading to rabies in employees. There have been some incidents of this nature already in Iraq so special precautions should be taken.

Apart from rabies, any dog bite can lead to infection and many of the stray dogs have been ill treated in the past and may turn on a human at any time if it feels frightened. 

Other less worrying risks are worms, fleas and ticks from the dogs.
A solution to the problems of stray dogs could be for the organisation in question to arrange a “trap and vaccinate” programme which will not only be beneficial to safety of staff but could provide a much needed after hours activity for volunteer staff whilst also building an ethical reputation for the organisation in a industry that is hounded by negative climate and environmental press. Additionally, with the organisation safe in the knowledge that the dogs are healthy, the camps on site could provide a safe haven for the dogs and providing employees with some much needed company on site.  

Cats

Each site and camp have a handful of cats that usually hang around the canteen area waiting for food. Again, like dogs, most people welcome this and enjoy spending time with the cats and taking care of them. Whilst there is no major risk from the cats, in fact it is an opportunity as they can keep the mice population down, there is the usual issue with fleas, ticks, worms etc. 

Companies can introduce policies for cats (as previously mentioned with dogs) including providing medicine for animals on site or camp.

Mice

something that was unexpected for me was the amount of mice found in Iraq. During certain months there are a large number of mice around the camp and in the offices. Whilst this doesn’t sound like much of a risk, there have been some major risks that have occurred from this already and that companies should be aware of. 

Mice are attracted to optical cables for some reason and this can lead to them eating through cables leading to outage of networks and even power, getting stuck in power outlets to the extent that they end up causing a short circuit or even a fire in a building. THere are ways to ensure that mice are not attracted to the cables by having stringent cable handling procedures such as wearing gloves in order to ensure no bodily oils are left on cables. Additionally food restrictions can be implemented in areas with cables. 

Another risk is mice in the kitchen and getting into food or contaminating food which might lead to wide spread disease or illness and major downtime of staff.

A solution to this problem tends to be mice traps, although other less humane traps are often used in many places. Another option is to use the cats that are on site as a natural deterrent.
Desert foxes

Since arriving in Iraq I have seen at least 2 or 3 Desert foxes. Whilst they don’t pose a threat to operations or projects, it is a really nice sight to see these foxes in their natural habitat. Perhaps this is the major risk. The risk that these foxes are losing their habitat and being forced off their land as we have done with so many other animals around the world. 

Unfortunately, unlike in many countries, where there are more stringent environmental regulations and requirements for building on land (or sea), there are often less developed requirements in regions such as Iraq. This shouldn’t stop organisations from working in line with other country standards and create a set of organisation policies geared towards positive environmental preservation and build a genuine ethical reputation.