Author: Mike Jeffries, Associate Professor, Ecology, Northumbria University, Newcastle

As we tidy away the Dracula capes and glow-in-the-dark plastic fangs for another winter, one notorious blood sucker has had a particularly good year. For the first time the medicinal leech Hirudo medicinalis has been bred in captivity at London zoo, part of a longer-term project to help this fascinating if unloved creature. Once widespread in the UK, the medicinal leech is now rare due mainly to habitat loss and historic collecting for medical use. In Ireland, the leech was driven to extinction in the 19th century. Their vulnerability is recognised in international conventions and biodiversity audits. You may have…