The prime directive

The report my death was an exaggeration, said Mark Twain. This is also true for our Madam Mantis.
Just out of routine I checked the leafs of the plant, not really expecting to see anything interesting - and there she was!
A quick check on the internet revealed that those creatures apparently strip their casings up to eight times in the process in becoming an adult.
What a marvelous turn of events!
Alas, the fat spider my wife thought she killed with a good spray of Windex, was still there. And dangerously close to our little Madam - see picture (upper left corner the spider, lower right corner the Mantis).
We only needed a few nanoseconds to decide that the prime directive of Star fleet, not to interfere at all costs with indigenous life, was not applicable here.
These were special circumstances, and to avoid a similar drama as had happened this morning, my wife - who usually handles the crawlys - went outside, clipped the leaf and released the spider into the grass. This day turned out to be o.k. after all ...