Swiss woman asks 'Why not scorpions?'

June 26, 1997
Web posted at: 11:16 p.m. EDT (0316 GMT)

GENEVA (CNN) -- At what was billed as a Fun Fair near the city of Lausanne, a woman known only as Francoise set her sights on a world record coveted by virtually no one.

Wearing a two-piece bathing suit and a mesh body suit, Francoise covered herself with 82 large African scorpions, some of them 6 inches long.

While it is not the sort of demonstration anyone recommends you try at home, Francoise has a history of doing such things. She is a fakir whose performances also include swallowing swords and spitting fire.

"It's fantastic," she said. "Why not scorpions?"

Because they are poisonous, perhaps?

No matter. As the black, armored arachnids crawled on her arms and shoulders, opening and closing their claws, their poisoned tails poised in the air, Francoise giggled.

"They tickle me," she said.

 

Related sites:

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• Introduction to Scorpiones UCMP Berkeley exhibit
  • Scorpion Photos
• Scorpion Emporium

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