Leeches scare tiger in the forests of the Mhadei

When it starts raining during the monsoon season, the Mhadei forest of Goa encourages leeches to come out. These leeches are considered as irritating and disgusting blood sucker by the trekkers. However, they too scare even the big cats and force them to go into the upper reaches.

Prakash Salelkar, the Range Forest Officer of the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary speaking to TOI said, “Though, the Mhadei region has the population of the resident tigers, they prefer to migrate from the lower region into the upper reaches to avoid leeches. Through my observations and field study I have come to the conclusion that the tigers are afraid of leeches and that is why, during the monsoon there are rare chances of tiger sighting at the foothills of the Mhadei Sanctuary.”

Leeches are segmented parasitic on predatory worm like animals belonging to the Annelida phylum. By connecting their anterior suckers, leeches feed on their hosts blood. They move using their longitudinal and circular muscles. During the monsoon trek to waterfalls, trekkers become victim of blood sucking by leeches. 

Gajanan Shetye, a wildlifer conducting nature trails in forests of Dharbandoda says, “During the monsoon season wherever humidity is there, one come across leeches near the ponds and waterfalls. In order to avoid biting by leeches, there is need to apply the common salt, tobacco eucalyptus oil, lime fruit juice to the hands, legs during the trekking. If you apply salt on tobacco to your body when bitten by leech, it will immediately stop sucking blood and fall down.”

Leeches normally carry parasites in their digestive tracts which cannot survive in humans and found that they do not pose a threat. However, in few cases it has been seen that leeches are transmitting pathogens. In the past leeches were used in Goa to draw impure blood from patient’s body.

Durgadas Parab, one of the organizers of trekking program from Mapusa says, “During the monsoon trek, bite of leeches is the most common. Since more than a decade, we take people in the forests in the rains and trekkers are bitten by the leeches but have not posed much threat. After sucking the blood leeches generally fall down leaving little mark on the affected body.”