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Leech lifeline Critically endangered species breeds at London Zoo ABSCBN News
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Efforts to save the humble medicinal leech, which is listed as critically endangered, have been boosted by news that a small population of the blood sucking creatures is now breeding, for the first time, at London Zoo. • Once widespread in ponds and lakes across the UK, now only four populations remain in England and Wales after a dramatic decrease in numbers due to changes in land use, wetland drainage, loss of grazing, centuries of exploitation for its medicinal use and climate change. • We've done very successful with the leeches this year. As part of the project from the Freshwater Habitats Trust, we have managed successfully breed 63 leeches this year have emerged from ootheca (egg sack). So very, very proud of ourselves, ectotherms keeper at London Zoo, Arran Harvey, told Reuters. • It’s hoped the Medicinal Leech Recovery project, a partnership between ZSL (The Zoological Society of London) and the Freshwater Habitats Trust, may be able to help create populations in other zoos and eventually see leeches returned to the wild. • We still don't know enough about our wild data yet and the causes of climate change with temperatures increasing, Harvey said. • If it carries on rising, our leeches are more threatened basically. So not viable at the moment to get re-released. • The UK's largest native leech, Hirudo medicinalis, was an historical staple in British medical trade, used for their blood-circulation-enhancing properties during the Medieval era. • They are still relevant in the field of medicine today. However, the leeches used in medical procedures are a different species, Hirudo verbana, bred in the UK and elsewhere specifically for this purpose. • The leeches play a vital role in the food web, providing a protein-rich meal for other animals, and feed on the blood of amphibians and animals that visit these water bodies. • The Medicinal Leech can live up to 20 years, prefers still waters, and reproduces by laying eggs in cocoons. - Report from Reuters • For more ABS-CBN News videos, click the link below: • • ABS-CBN News • For more Breaking News Live Coverage videos, click the link below: • • Breaking News Live Coverage • For more latest news and analysis from ABS-CBN News videos, click the link below: • • The latest news and analysis from ABS... • For more News Digital News Raw Cuts, click the link below: • • News Digital Raw Cuts • Subscribe to the ABS-CBN News channel! - http://bit.ly/TheABSCBNNews • Watch full episodes on iWantTFC for FREE here: • http://iwanttfc.com • Visit our website at http://news.abs-cbn.com • Facebook: / abscbnnews • Twitter: / abscbnnews • Instagram: / abscbnnews • #Leech • #LatestNews • #ABSCBNNews
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