Leeches Take Tokyo

Due to increased reforestation and a shrinking rural population in Japan, residential areas have been plagued by an onslaught of Yamabiru, or land leeches. According to Reuters' story, these leeches have been hitching rides on animals like deer and boar that find their way from the woodlands into communities as they search for food. Unlike water leeches, Yamabiru can latch onto people's feet painlessly and go unnoticed until they've swelled to ten times their normal size. "Only later when they see their blood-soaked feet, do they realize what has happened," said Shigekazu Tani, director of Japan's Institute for Environmental Culture. Mr. Tani's suggestion? Spread pesticide to kill the leeches. Or just "tough it out".