Man Tames Giant Killer Hornet, Puts It On A Leash

(He named it Fluffypoo)

A man in Japan claims he has made a pet of what is reputed to be the world's most aggressive insect, the lethal Japanese giant hornet.

The 2in-long insects - which can fly at up to 25 mph - are feared for their powerful, poisonous stings that claim about 40 lives in Japan every summer.

The high death rate makes them the second most lethal animal in Japan, after man.

But one social network user in Tokyo, the Japanese capital, claims to have tamed a hornet to the extent that he now even takes it on 'walkies' in its own string harness.

Large and very aggressive, Japanese giant hornets have quarter-inch-long stingers that inject a venom which attacks the nervous system and damages tissues of its victims.

The stings can trigger anaphylactic shock in victims who are allergic to the venom and, if the dose is sufficient, can cause lethal renal failure even to those who are not allergic.