Efforts to save an iconic British freshwater species from extinction have been boosted by news that a small population of Medicinal Leech is now breeding, for the first time, at London Zoo.

Led by national wildlife conservation charity Freshwater Habitats Trust, the Medicinal Leech Recovery project is taking practical steps to halt and reverse the decline of Hirudo medicinalis, the UK’s largest native leech. This includes establishing a small breeding population at London Zoo. Since taking the leeches into its care, London Zoo has successfully bred over 40 young Medicinal leeches, marking a huge conservation success for the species.

The number of Medicinal Leeches in Britain has declined dramatically and the species is now on the brink of extinction. Once found in high abundance at hundreds of sites, there are now only four main populations left, in Kent, Hampshire and Dorset, Cumbria and Wales.