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CBC
5 days ago
- General
- CBC
Skin crawling surprise: Alberta woman says camping trip was ruined by dozens of ticks
Social Sharing A Calgary woman says a trip to a provincial campground turned into "a nightmare," after finding out her family was covered in about 30 ticks. In May, Gerri Kunneke, her husband Lloyd Rose, and their two dogs visited Gooseberry Lake Provincial Park in eastern Alberta near Consort, about 290 kilometres southeast of Edmonton, to camp in their trailer. The next day, Kunneke and her husband took their dogs for a walk around the park. "We decided that we actually wanted to … get closer to the lake and just see what shore birds [were] there," said Kunneke. She said they walked off the path, into tall grass, but said they were only in the brush for a few minutes. Later that night, back at their trailer, Kunneke's husband told her he felt something in his hair, and asked her to take a look for him. "I got up, [and] as I got near him, he said to me, 'Oh my, you've got something in your face, it's a tick' … on my cheek,'" said Kunneke. And that feeling in her husband's hair? It was also a tick. "It's truly a nightmare … every time you feel something on your skin, you think it's another one of them crawling," said Kunneke. "Even hours later I found something on my back and lo and behold, it was another tick that was embedded in my back." The incident at the provincial park surprised a tick expert, who says that area of Alberta isn't typically known for large tick populations. "Usually at this time of year, I would expect ticks to be on the … mountain side of Alberta, so it was really quite shocking to me to discover that in a provincial park on the Saskatchewan side of Alberta that the ticks were that bad," said Janet Sperling, president of Lyme Disease Canada. "There are places in Saskatchewan where it's been a problem for quite some time, but … it was really surprising to hear that Gooseberry Provincial Park had such a big tick problem." In a statement to CBC, the office of the Minister of Forestry and Parks said "Alberta is home to many species of ticks that can be found all across the province, including within provincial parks." Conditions where ticks thrive Ticks in the prairies, Sperling says, thrive in wet climates, and the parasites are able to survive cold winters. She says the tick population likely got to Gooseberry Lake Provincial Park either by hitching a ride with migratory birds, or deer. "I knew the ticks were coming in from Saskatchewan, but I hadn't realized they had arrived in quite such numbers," said Sperling, who says that large tick populations are more common in southern Alberta. Warning to campers After what happened at Gooseberry Lake Provincial Park, Kunneke wants the province to install warning signs for campers during peak tick season, which stretches from April to June. "It shakes your confidence, it's like, why was I not warned about this? … I could have been on the lookout, but no one is saying a word about it," said Kunneke. "[A tick] was walking on my face and he attached himself there, I felt nothing and I'm a well-educated, aware person." Sperling says campers should be armed with bug spray and a tick removal kit, and they should remain covered up. She says campers can further protect themselves with special clothing treated with bug spray. "If you do get bitten, remove that tick right away because you're reducing the chance it's actually transmitting anything." She says to keep the tick that burrows into your skin, and take it to a lab to be tested. "They can test for the diseases that you would expect in that tick, and it really helps to sort of guide you and the doctor to know what you're up against." Sperling says that levels of Lyme disease in Alberta ticks aren't super high, but in Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec, over 50 per cent of ticks carry Lyme disease. The province says that "Alberta Parks includes messaging in educational programming, reminding campers to check for ticks and how to be safe," urging campers to check the provincial website to find out more information.
CTV News
7 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Camper warning others after being swarmed with ticks at Alberta provincial park
Gerri Kenneke's husband and one of their dogs can be seen on a walk in Gooseberry Lake Provincial Park. (Supplied) What started as a tranquil hike in an Alberta provincial park ended in what one camper called a horrific experience with a blood-sucking arachnid. Gerri Kenneke said she was horrified to find herself, her husband and two dogs covered in ticks during a recent trip to Gooseberry Lake Provincial Park, which is 243 kilometres southeast of Edmonton. It was a beautiful day in a beautiful place and Kenneke said the couple and their dogs took a walk. They didn't notice anything was wrong until after they had returned to their camper to wind down. '(My husband) said to me … 'I think I feel something in my hair, is there something (stuck) in my hair?' And I got up, and as I got closer to him, he looked at me and he said, 'Oh, you've got something stuck on your cheek. 'I think it's a tick.'' Gooseberry Lake tick Gerri Kenneke and her husband said they pulled dozens of these ticks off themselves and their dogs after a hike at Gooseberry Provincial Park, east of Red Deer. (Supplied) The couple soon stripped down naked to begin the search for more. And more they found – in their hair, on their bodies, on the dogs and the furniture. Kenneke said she felt violated by the experience and they decided to pack up and head home, where they continued to find unwelcome hitchhikers. 'In the end, we had between the two of us and two dogs, we caught at least 30 ticks,' she said. 'I, in a million years, never thought that this would be an experience I would have ever had in Canada,' she added. 'I come from Africa, I am used to ticks all my life there, but this was never a concern I had here.' Ticks Gooseberry Lake Gerri Kenneke's husband looks over one of their dogs for ticks after the couple were swarmed during a trip to Gooseberry Lake east of Red Deer. (Supplied) Ticks are parasitic arachnids that fasten themselves to a host and feed on its blood. In Alberta, native species can carry organisms that cause disease in people, such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Powassan virus and tularemia – though the health ministry reports cases of those diseases range from zero to three each year. Entomologist and tick researcher Janet Sperling said, with climate change and more pets travelling, non-native ticks are increasingly coming into the province and extending the tick season. While black-legged ticks, which carry the bacteria that cause Lyme disease, are not found here, she said they can find their way here as stowaways on migratory animals. 'Birds can drop the ticks, and that's especially true of the Lyme disease ticks,' Sperling said. 'We don't run into it all the time, but because it's rare, people will often say it's not here at all, and that's not true.' Gerri Kenneke ticks Ticks can be seen in the toilet of Gerri Kenneke 's trailer. The couple said they found they and their dogs were covered after going for a walk in Gooseberry Lake Provincial Park, east of Red Deer. (Supplied) Sperling said she doesn't want to see people scared or put off enjoying nature. Rather, she recommends people educate and prepare themselves ahead of time. 'I have a little handy dandy tick removal kit, and I know I would keep that with me,' she added. 'I'm entering tick habitat, and it's just like when we go to the mountains and we enter bear habitat. 'Instead of saying I won't ever go, we say, 'I'm going to go, but I'm going to be prepared.'' Kenneke said she would like to see more signage in areas where there are known ticks. When asked if it had received reports of ticks at Gooseberry Lake, the province said 'Alberta is home to many species of ticks … including in provincial parks.' It said Albertans can protect themselves from ticks by wearing bug spray, a hat, long-sleeved shirt, socks and long pants when visiting wooded or grassy areas. When you return home or indoors, check your clothing and all over your body – including the groin, head and underarms. If you do find a tick, grab it as close to the mouth as possible with fine-tipped tweezers and pull straight out. Don't squeeze its body and don't worry if part of the tick's beak remains, as it will come out naturally in time. Sperling said people should take note of the kind of tick they are bitten by and hold onto it if it is a black-legged tick or Dermacentor tick, so they can test it if they should become sick. If you have been bitten by a tick, you can call 811 or visit the Government of Canada website for more information. With files from CTV News Edmonton's Nicole Weisberg
