Risky tourism: guests of the Kirov region are invited to be eaten by ticks?

      If you have long wanted to test your luck, the Kirov region is ready to offer the perfect route. The Regional Tourism Development Center invites guests to nature — to reserves, parks, and protected areas — but suggests not to think too much about ticks (maybe it will be fine and they won’t bite).

      Let us remind you that not long ago, a ranking of regions in Russia was compiled based on the number of reports after tick bites for the year 2025, where the Kirov region took first place. Doctors recorded more than 8,000 reports, which is almost three times more than the nearest "competitor" (for example, in the Kostroma region, the number of reports was just over 3,000). In some cases, tick bites end up requiring serious treatment. For instance, in one case, a child needed inpatient treatment costing 570,000 rubles.

      Against this backdrop, the authorities are actively inviting tourists to our region... into the forest.

      The press service of the government reports on the development of eco-tourism, accounting for the creation of infrastructure: eco-trails, visitor centers, routes through the "Nurgush" reserve, the "Pizhemsky" reserve, and "Zarechny Park." Tourists are invited to stroll through natural areas, explore the forests, and camp in tents. Everything as it should be: nature, fresh air, excursions (and the likelihood of tick-borne encephalitis as a bonus).

      The editorial team of Newsler.ru could not overlook the obvious question: what about the ticks? Is it not dangerous for guests of the region to thoughtlessly follow the invitations and go into forest tourism with the risk of picking up a bloodsucker? We inquired with the Ministry of Environmental Protection of the Kirov region: how is safety being handled? In particular, is tick control being conducted in the areas mentioned in the article on the government’s website?

      The ministry reported that in the territory of the "Pizhemsky" reserve and "Zarechny Park," the use of chemical agents is prohibited by the special protection regime. The thing is, such preparations destroy not only ticks but also other insects and small animals. It turns out that acaricide (tick control) treatment along eco-trails is not conducted.

      A rather strange picture emerges: the region is a leader in the number of tick bites, yet it is here that tourists are actively invited "to nature," where no one protects them from these very ticks. Perhaps the regional authorities believe that non-infectious ticks live in ecological reserves, and carriers of encephalitis, borreliosis, and other "tick-borne diseases," upon seeing a sign marking the boundaries of a natural reserve, will obediently crawl away.

      Not long ago, the director of the Tourism Development Center, Alexey Cheptsov, spoke about plans for the 90th anniversary of the Kirov region and the creation of a special quest for the region's attractions and unique places. Against this backdrop, we propose an additional quest "Extreme Kirov Style." The route is simple: you come to "Zarechny Park" or go to the waterfall in "Pizhemsky," enjoy nature, collect ticks on yourself, and then take them to the laboratory.