Man Tries to Bring 5,000 Leeches Through Toronto Airport

There seems to be no limit to creepy crawly animals that people will try to smuggle through an airport, as we saw when a man put a live snake in his pants in the hopes of getting past security in a German airport. Now a Canadian man is taking things to a new level with leeches.

On October 17, 2018, a Canadian man returning from a trip to Russia was discovered to have 5,000 live leeches in hundreds of containers in his bags at Toronto Pearson International Airport.

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The man was charged with illegally importing an internationally regulated species without required permits, according to André Lupert, manager of intelligence for the Wildlife Enforcement Directorate at Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ontario Region.

Leeches are parasitic worms, and many live on blood. They've been used as medicinal means for centuries and can sell for about $10 each. The main claimed that the leeches were for personal use and their waste water would enrich his orchids.

But Lupert isn’t buying it: "This sort of leech quantity would suggest it was for commercialization.”

The man will have to go to court on February 15, but until then, Canadian officials have to figure out what to do with the worms.

“Ultimately it’s up to the judge if he wants to view the leeches in person because they’re viewed as evidence,” Lupert told National Geographic.

Authorities didn’t want to keep them long-term and they’re not natural to Canada so they couldn’t be released.

“We were learning on the fly how to house these things,” said Lupert.

“These are pretty active creatures. We changed the water regularly, and when the officers came in one morning, they found that 20 had escaped.” The leeches were quickly recaptured.

After a lot of phone calls, the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto took 50 leeches, while the American Museum of Natural History took 1,000 leeches after formal export and import paperwork were drawn up.

Officials are still left with 3,950 leeches, and when asked what they’ll do with the remaining ones, Lupert asked, “Want some pets?”