Second rare tick turns up in New Jersey

A rare tick that had never been seen before in this country has now been spotted twice in New Jersey over the past two years.

The New Jersey Department of Agriculture confirmed that a Longhorned tick was found at the Watchung Reservation in Union County. Last year, the East Asian tick was found on a sheep in Hunterdon County.

"Various local, state, and federal animal health officials, as well as Rutgers University are working together to identify the range of the ticks and develop a plan to eliminate this pest from the area in Union County," the Department of Agriculture said in a statement. "This tick is known to infest a wide range of species and has the potential to infect multiple North American wildlife species, humans, dogs, cats and livestock."

The National Veterinary Services Laboratory confirmed that Longhorned ticks were found on a white-tailed deer that was checked on April 19, making it "the first finding of this tick feeding on local wildlife.

Anyone concerned about unusual ticks found on livestock or with questions about animals should call the State Veterinarian at 609-671-6400.

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