Ticks are closely related to spiders (both have eight legs) and sit in trees, ferns and blades of grass waiting for a warm blooded animal to pass by. The scent and warmth of the animal wakes them up and then they quickly burrow their heads into their host and feast on warm blood.
On our recent trip to the Masai Mara, Murray and Adam each picked up a tick. Whilst they are both nature lovers, the thought of having their blood drained was not for them. In the field there are several ways of getting rid of ticks. DO NOT immediately pull the tick out; you will leave its mouth parts embedded in your flesh and this will cause an infection. It is far safer to kill the tick and a few hours later, the head can then be pulled out with the body attached, wthout the risk of breakage.
In the right hand photograph above, Murray is killing the tick with a lighter. Whilst effective, it can burn your flesh! In the second photograph, our Masai guide killed a tick by piercing its body with a thorn from a bush. Very effective, and painless!
Since then we have researched the subject and found that the lighter method is not recommended. Apart from the risk of burning yourself, there is apparently a risk that the stress will cause the tick to regurgitate the contents of its stomach into the host .... yuck!
Thankfully ticks have not been common on our trips.
Julie and Adam
Tips on ticks - 23 September 2007
