About:
Leeches are segmented worms (Annelida) and are related to earthworms, belonging to the Hirudinea family. They have a wide range from temperate (European Leech) to tropical and subtropical forests (Indian Leech).
Indian species:
In India species of the genus Haemadipsa, Myxobdella, Hirudo and Poecilobdella are known to prey on humans. The H.z. zeylanica (Japanese mountain Leech) can occur up to 3500 m (11,500 ft). (Chandra, 1991).
Occurrence:
Leeches are found all over the country in appropriate habitats. However, they are most commonly encountered by wildlife enthusiasts and birders in NE India and the Western Ghats.
Leeches wait at the edge of a leaf to hitch a ride on a passing prey or can crawl up the leg from the ground. However, they are also known to fall on to prey on overhanging branches.
The level of the infestation in any forest depends on how wet the forest is, and also on the season. Thus wetter evergreen forest like in the NE India and parts of Southern Western Ghats India has leeches almost throughout the year. Other relative dryer forests like the ones in Northern Western Ghats, some Western and Central Himalayan forests are found mostly during the monsoon season.
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| Eaglenest WLS haven for birders and Leeches. Pic: Asif N Khan |
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| Phansad WLS Dry Season. Pic: Asif N Khan |
Prevention:
There is no way that you can completely avoid leeches when you’re walking in a leech-infested forest, but you can most certainly minimise the encounter and also prevent bites.
1) Clothes:
Wear long sleeve, shirts and trousers. Wear 'closed' shoes, and avoid sandals or slippers in a leech-infested forest. Tuck your pants into socks this will prevent the leech from crawling in your shoes.
2) Leech socks
Possibly the easiest way to avoid leeches is a Leech Sock. One can buy it directly or get it made with help of your tailor. Wear it like a sock and tie it just below your knee, this will prevent the leech from getting in between your toes and feet. Around Bombay, you can get the Leech socks at Decathlon (www.decathlon.in) and Adventure 18 (www.adventure18.com) Leech Socks usually tend to slip down, this will defeat its purpose, thus you will have to costly keep checking them.
You can read this article from Borneo on Leech Socks (http://goo.gl/lRpwix).
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| Simple Leech Socks, that can be made on your own |
5) Tobacco
Tobacco is another me deterrent to leeches, usually, socks are stuffed with tobacco to avoid them, but a decoction can also be created for the same.
Tobacco Decoction:
Soak tobacco in water overnight, preferably use hot water. After the soaking strain, the decoction adds Castor Oil to the solution and transfer it into a small bottle fitted with a spray cap (easily available at railway stations) to carry around and spray on your clothes and pants. The smell of the tobacco is able to slow down the leech and ultimately intoxicate it. But it takes time, there’s no immediate effect. Also effective is Snuff or powder tobacco, (Mishri).
A Few Things to remember:
Few Things to remember while walking in a leech-infested forest:
1. Do not lean on a tree or sit down on leaf litter in the forest. If you need to stop and take a rest, find a spot with direct sunlight, leeches avoid dry and hot places.
2. Keep Walking, if it is for a short distance you can avoid stopping.
3. Wear double layered socks
4. Wear a lighter shade of socks, so you can see the leeches climbing up on them, the same applies when buying leech socks. Choose white or lighter shades.
5. Do not rush into the forest if you see a bird or any other wildlife, try and avoid
6. Another way to avoid leeches is to restrict your birding activities to the tar roads, especially in the NE.
7. Use cotton to plug your ears if you are sleeping in a tent in a leech-infested forest.
Once bitten...
If you can stand it the easiest and safest method is to let the leech have its fill and fall off on its own (it should take about 15-20 mins to do so) leeches are not known to spread diseases like other pests.
Removing the Leech:
Once you have located the leech, try and locate its head (anterior) sucker. This will be the most the larger disc. Pull the skin near the sucker to tighten the skin, then slide fingernails underneath the sucker, and 'peel' the leech off. The leech will immediately try to reattach itself, so flick it off right away. Never pull off the leech, since this can leave its sucker attached to your body.
Treating the Wound:
The leeches while feeding secret an anticoagulant to prevent the blood from clotting before they can get their fill. Thus when a leech is removed the wound might bleed for several hours or in very care cases for days. This is what makes leeches feared more than any other parasite in the forest like ticks or mosquitoes.
Treat the wound like any other wound:
Clean it with rubbing alcohol or another first aid cleansing solution like Savlon or Dettol (if you are using Dettol remember to dilute before using) then apply a bandage to it. Since the wound will continue to bleed change the band-aid frequently. Avoid leaving the wound open, since like any other wound it will be susceptible to infections, especially if you are hiking or trekking in the forest. The wound will itch as it heals.
Salt and other remedies:
(Dos and Donts)
There are other ways to get off a leech which is not always recommended, like applying salt, and alcohol or simply burning the leech with a match or a cigarette. These methods will get the leech off but it is more likely that the leech will regurgitate into the wound, which can cause infections. However if the leech has attached itself to a place where it is difficult to reach its sucker (list nostril or ear), use alcohol or salt.
Always remember you are in the forest and leeches and other insects are a part of the echo system, using extreme steps like insecticide or aerosol (like deodorants) defies the purpose of an educational camp and is a very irresponsible way of avoiding leeches and enjoying the forest.
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| Mollem NP, Goa. Pic: Asif N Khan |
References and further reading:
If you wish to learn about leeches in detail you can check this publication by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI):
http://faunaofindia.nic.in/PDFVolumes/hpg/008/index.pdf
* Information obtained in this blog is from personal experience and the internet, thus in leech bite cases, it is best to seek medical attention. Pictures used in this blog are obtained from Google Images and may be subject to copyright.
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