Prince George. B.C.- The results are in for the  study on tick infestation on Moose,  and  researchers suggest  the  infestation could  be  worse  in the winter ahead.

(photo of tick infested moose courtesy Ministry of the Environment.   Click on photo for  full report)

This was the second year for the study which is based on the information  gathered from public observation of moose.  ( see previous story)

Over the course of the 2016 study,  121 moose were observed in the Omineca Region between January and the end of April.  Of those  moose,  53%  showed hair loss due to tick infestation.  The situation was worse in the Peace area where 183 moose were  observed, and 73% had  hair loss,  while 56% of the 135 moose spotted in the Skeena region  were recorded as having  hair loss.

The  researchers  note in their report that  given the mild winter  of 2016,  the tick infestation in the Omineca and Skeena regions  is likely to be higher  in the winter of 2017 because low snow levels  allow the ticks to  lay  eggs on the ground.

The survey on  ticks is one of the factors being  studied to  determine the  causes of the decline in the moose population.  In 2012 it was determined the moose population in the Omineca region had declined by as much as 50%. Province wide, the moose population has declined by an estimated 27,500 since 2011.   The researchers also  want to see if  prescribed burns in moose management areas  are an effective preventive measure  to reduce tick  populations.