how did i get a leech in my small pond?

[jonny5]

I live in costal California fairly far away from any source of freshwater and I set my 200gish pond up this spring, I just noticed a leech on top of a lily paddy. Pulled the thing out and grabbed onto the leaf with its head and tried to swirl around and grab other stuff with its tail, so im fairly certain it is a leech, I lost it though.

so how on earth did it get into my pond?

 

[that_fish_Guy]

Did you get any fish shipped from other states by a private collector? Maybe if you did he kept whatever fish you got shipped in a pond outside or with native species who could have possibly had leech eggs or whatever internally and the leeches came from the shipment ?? Otherwise I have no clue best thing to do would have been to kill it. Maybe some more people with leech expirence will chime in

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[duanes]

Leeches and there eggs can be attached to, and carried hundreds, (possibly thousands) of miles by migrating birds, and if dropped on land, can travel to water in damp vegetation.
They are also hermaphrodites, so one can become many.

 

[MN_Rebel]

It could be from fish, plants or a bird.

 

[jonny5]

ah ic, so could have come in with the plants I stocked or from birds. Should I be worried for my fish? I only have small minnows and my biggest fish is an American flagfish, the leech is just as big as it.