Development Of Technologies

With the development of technologies, the practice of using leeches for medical purposes has fallen out of favor. But there are still many people who are ready to pay for these slippery creatures. The value of Hirudo verbena on the open market ranges from $6-$14 apiece.

Almost 5000 Leeches

And by the time these all facts came into light, the counting of the leeches that were procured from Ippolit had reached more than 5,000. The smuggler’s antics pointed out to the fact that he was an amateur in these kinds of things. 

A Great Deal

Ippolit might have been thinking that this day would yield him a great profit but he couldn’t have been any more wrong. But Canada’s zero-tolerance policy on the sale of exploited animals was one thing that Ippolit did not consider while smuggling the leeches and as a result, he was fined $15000 and was banned for importing or exporting any endangered species of Wild Flora and Fauna.

Effect On Ecosystem

The leeches that are found to be of the illegal origin are usually disposed of in a nearby water body and this disrupts the natural balance of the ecosystem. And this is not the first time, there are various varieties of European leeches that are already being found in Canadian lakes as a result of this dumping practice.