They're a parasite many people don't think live in Alaska, but Fish and Game says ticks are here and their numbers are on the rise.

In New England where ticks have decimated moose, the average tick load is 40,000, and some have been found with 90,000.

Ticks that infest red squirrels, snowshoe hares and a variety of birds have always been present in Alaska, but a team of biologists and veterinarians recently found five non-native ticks on Alaska dogs and people.

Fish and Game says tularemia is showing up early this year in snowshoe hares around the Interior and areas south of the Alaska Range. Tularemia is a bacteria that can pass to pets and people, causing serious illness.

Alaska’s warming winters and the broader habitat for ticks in the Lower 48 and Canada may provide a channel for rarer types to get to Alaska and survive there.