Long confined to the mountains, Japanese leeches are invading residential areas, causing swelling, itching and general discomfort with their blood-thirsty ways.
Yamabiru, or land leeches, have become a problem in 29 of Japan’s 47 prefectures, according to the Institute for Environmental Culture, a private research facility in Chiba prefecture, east of Tokyo.
The little suckers are riding into towns and villages, hitching lifts on deer and boar whose numbers have grown due to re-forestation and dwindling rural populations.
Once there, the leeches, which measure in at about 1.5 cms before a meal, take to feasting on warm human flesh
The “expert” remedy? Tough it out!
Expert remedy: salt
An added bonus is you get to watch the leech suffer
Not-So-Expert remedy: paper clip heated with a lighter. Or a cigar/cigarette if you smoke. Sharp knife slid down skin is the quickest.
Land leaches??!!? Yecch!! I don’t even like the ones that stick to the bottom of my inflatable canoe. (I don’t kill them though. I just pick them off and throw them back in the water. They must be part of some food chain.)
I love the scabs on the girl’s face. I guess she enjoyed the experience so much she went back for seconds.
Leeches suck.
Between the short school girl skirts and constant state of arousal, Japan is doomed.
#2
you don’t want to risk leaving the head behind, the bite gets infected then. Your knife treatment has that risk.
salt is the best, inflicts gitmo like water torture agony on the little bastard, makes him retract his teeth from the wound as he goes into spasms of pain.
(I really don’t like leeches)
#7 – (I really don’t like leeches)
Really.
I always thought they made great pets. 🙂
#5 – The Monster’s Lawyer,
Mammals suck too. Cetaceans also blow.
SOAPY water, drowns them…
Typical of Reuters, getting the WRONG picture up, because they couldn’t find one in time, sheesh.
Hellooo….1.5cm is LESS THAN one inch !!!
The ones on the girl’s face are the domesticated ones #8 is referring to.
The photo must have been changed.
#1 – or umibashi, a salt pickled plum paste – its saltier than salt.