Environmental alert! Colonisation of East London by giant leeches

Our guest writer, field biologist Clear Hardly, alerts us to evolutionary changes occuring in East London's invertebrates, particularly leeches, which are on the move since the authorities disturbed their ancient habitats in the waterways of Hackney Marshes to develop the 2012 Olympic Park in Stratford.



Hirudo leech: Segmented worm of the Phylum Annelida species, with anterior and posterior suckers, hermaphrodites, it explores it's water environment and feeds on its host injecting anti-coagulents to assist predation and, when gorged with blood, it falls away.








Hirudo gigantae vulgaris: these huge, marsh emergent, leeches are now wholly terrestrial in form. They feed on development sites, inject capital and rapaciously extract huge value from their hosts at the expense of future generations. They favour brownfield and, increasingly, greenfield land. When gorged they fall away and move on in search of new opportunity sites.

 

"Not to be mistaken for pond life, I urge local communities to keep a wary lookout for Hirudo gigantae vulgaris" said Clear Hardly "particularly around London's East End brownfield sites like Dalston, Stoke Newlington,  London Fields, Forest Gate and Shoreditch. Even community gardens, sportsfields and parkland are no longer safe. When they feed....you bleed! "