Lorie as a yearlingWith Mike Johnson and Lorie Kennedy right here watching, Lorie’s namesake showed up—Samantha’s newly independent yearling Lorie. At first there was debate about her identity because she has few distinguishing characteristics. But checking photos from last year, we saw the bare spot in the top middle of her muzzle, and there it was on this bear in person (photograph). Definitely her, confirmed by her subsequent behavior.
When she got on the scale, an engorged tick fell off her (photo), which I felt an urge to photograph for the update and tell what a tick-safe area this is.
Dog tickWe are over 70 miles outside the high risk area for Lyme disease as defined by the Minnesota Department of Health. For some reason no one can explain, deer ticks (Ixodes scapularis) are rare here. I have never seen one in all the years of working in the wood and checking hundreds of ticks that crawled off road-killed bears onto a white tarp for identification.
The common tick here is the harmless dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis) (pictured), which is active from late spring into early August. Out west, these ticks spread Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and tularemia, but not here, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.
Engorged tickBig female dog ticks are 4 millimeters long, which is big enough to feel and see and easily pick off before they become attached. If they do become attached, the bite might itch but that’s all. I hesitate to walk in the woods in parts of the country that have deer ticks or diseases spread by other ticks, but we never worry about ticks here.
Someone sent me a link to this 2-minute clip of Julia Bradbury and I pretending to be bears and talking about bear scent-marking. I know I look foolish, but it was fun. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXYiVMXog1Ed
Thank you for all you do.
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center
All photos taken today unless otherwise noted.