Northern Suburbs of Sydney invaded by LEECHES

Hello suckers ... a leech

LEECHES have invaded the Northern Suburbs of Sydney after the heaviest rainfall in almost 20 years.

Residents from St Ives to Mt Colah have told of the blood suckers being flushed out of creeks and bushes into suburban gardens by the weekend deluge.

Australian Museum leech expert Martyn Robinson took to the bush in northern Sydney yesterday to see what the numbers were like.

"I was on the Great North Walk and there were more leeches than I have ever seen," Mr Robinson said. "You walked about 3m of path and you'd look down and your feet were bristling with leeches."

"I am not surprised they [are in suburban gardens]. They are becoming more and more common around the suburbs."

He said the warm weather and torrential downpours were making the blood suckers more active.

"They are a lot more rapid in their movements," he said.

Some of the leeches are getting into backyards in potting mix and bushwalkers' clothing, he said.

Mr Robinson said anyone suffering itchiness around a leech bite can try pepper, bicarbonate of soda or paw paw ointment.

Mary Rayner from the Australian Reptile Park said some leeches were washed out of creeks.

"They're usually around creeks, you can get them moving through the bush, they hang off leaves and branches and latch on to people," she said.

SOURCE: www.dailytelegraph.com.au

Editorial Message  

This site contains materials from other clearly stated media sources for the purpose of discussion stimulation and content enrichment among our members only.
whatsonxiamen.com does not necessarily endorse their views or the accuracy of their content. For copyright infringement issues please contact editor@whatsonxiamen.com