It has been almost a decade or so since I laid eyes on one of these leeches. The record rains over the past two days have enthused these segmented blood suckers to crawl out from wherever they were hiding.
Finally the North East Monsoon is here, and just 2 days of downpour has almost topped up the water reservoirs of the city of Madras, now Chennai. And they have also egged the leeches to venture out. Biologically they are similar to the ordinary earthworm, but you would never have me handle the leeches, unlike the earthworms.
One of the early morning chores is to switch on the water pump to top up our apartments’ own water reservoir – the over head tank. Casually I walked over to switch on the pump, and to my horror, saw this slimy leech hardly a foot away from my knee.
Yikes! I did switch on the pump, but only after a more careful inspection of the surroundings, to find another one, about half the size of the first. This is one monsoon season to remember, for I have not seen one of these in a long time.
Well, I did not hang around there anymore, and went back only when it was time to switch off the pump, and a few snaps. I could not spot the smaller second one, but the first bigger leech was almost at the same place on the side wall. A couple of quick snaps and here it is.
Finally the North East Monsoon is here, and just 2 days of downpour has almost topped up the water reservoirs of the city of Madras, now Chennai. And they have also egged the leeches to venture out. Biologically they are similar to the ordinary earthworm, but you would never have me handle the leeches, unlike the earthworms.
One of the early morning chores is to switch on the water pump to top up our apartments’ own water reservoir – the over head tank. Casually I walked over to switch on the pump, and to my horror, saw this slimy leech hardly a foot away from my knee.
Yikes! I did switch on the pump, but only after a more careful inspection of the surroundings, to find another one, about half the size of the first. This is one monsoon season to remember, for I have not seen one of these in a long time.
Well, I did not hang around there anymore, and went back only when it was time to switch off the pump, and a few snaps. I could not spot the smaller second one, but the first bigger leech was almost at the same place on the side wall. A couple of quick snaps and here it is.
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