A British father has described how he and his family were forced to abandon their campsite in the Sahara Desert after nearly 30 scorpions surrounded their tent. Faraz Shibli, 40, from Aynho, West Northamptonshire, was camping with his wife Bryony, 41, and their three young children—Oswin, six, Idina, four, and Alaric, one—when the incident occurred on April 11.
The family had travelled to Tunisia after scrapping plans for a trip to Pakistan due to tensions in the Middle East. They ventured into the Sahara with local guides and set up camp in a remote area suggested by the Amazigh people, about 45 minutes from the nearest town. Initially, the evening was peaceful, with the children playing in the dunes and the family cooking dinner over a fire.
However, as darkness fell, Shibli noticed movement in the sand. 'We counted around 29 scorpions around and crawling up the tent. There were also big spiders and dung beetles, but the scorpions were venomous—especially dangerous for children,' he said. The family remained calm to avoid alarming the children, but quickly decided to dismantle the camp and drive back to a previous location overnight.
Shibli, a barrister, said the experience taught an important lesson about risk and judgement. 'It's important for kids to learn that when something becomes too dangerous, you make a judgement and leave,' he explained. He added that the children were excited by the adventure, with his son taking a framed scorpion to school for show-and-tell. Shibli regularly takes his children on adventurous trips to build confidence and encourage them to disconnect from technology.
