Video: Hate Leeches? Stay Away from This “Leech-nado”
OutdoorHub Reporters 04.24.15
Here’s one place you don’t want to skinny dip in.
If you’ve ever come out of the water with one of these bloodsuckers on you, then odds are you’re not a big fan. One thing most people will agree on is that leeches are downright nasty. In addition to being slimy and incontestably ugly, leeches can also transmit disease and inject harmful bacteria into their victims. The best way to avoid leeches is simply to bypass infested waters, but that’s not always possible.
The video below shows a gathering of leeches in a wetland junction near Green Bay. The concentration of swimming leeches is so high, the video’s uploader calls it a “leech-nado.” It looks more like a leech swarm to us, but that doesn’t make it any better.
Useful fact: many experts suggest removing an attached leech by gripping its head and pushing it off the bite point sideways. Avoid using home remedies such as pouring salt on it, burning it, or coaxing it off with vinegar or insect repellent. While these methods may remove the leech, it also increases the possibility of the critter dumping the contents of its stomach back into the wound—effectively vomiting new bacteria into its victim.
