Concerns are rising nationally about the incidence of the black-legged – or deer tick, a species known to carry Lyme disease.

While there are a number of permanent tick species in Newfoundland and Labrador – including the seabird tick, rabbit, tick, vole tick and mouse tick – the deer tick is not a species known to have a permanent population in this province.

While this province typically sees some 30 to 50 deer tick reports a year, the creature is not believed to have established a permanent population in the province primarily due to the fact there are no white-tailed deer on the island.

Dr. Hugh Whitney, who published a fact sheet on ticks for the provincial government says there is a possibility that caribou may be able to support deer ticks, but he is not aware of any scientific evidence to make that conclusion.

In the meantime, there are white-tailed deer in Saint Pierre et Miquelon, however the population there is not dense enough to support the permanent presence of deer ticks, and the bacterium that causes Lyme disease.

Ticks can be reported online.