A TRIP to the Tamworth Marsupial Park ended badly for one four-year-old who had two surgeries at the weekend to remove hundreds of ticks.
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The little girl was on an excursion to the park and it wasn't until she returned home that her mother Chloe O'Brien noticed something was not right.
"I first noticed when showering," she said.
"We had majority removed in theatre on Saturday morning, and the rest were removed yesterday under mild sedation."
They [doctors] lost count but they were in the hundreds.
- Chloe O'Brien
"They [doctors] lost count but they were in the hundreds."
A few other children at the excursion also came home with ticks, but none as extreme as Ms O'Brien's daughter.
She was visited by about 10 different doctors and nurses and nobody at Tamworth Hospital had ever seen anything like it.
"The thought of something like that happening has never crossed my mind," Ms O'Brien said.
"I know council had warnings up, but I think more precaution should have been taken especially being a children's playground.
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"This could have been life-threatening to someone else, we now have to sit and hope that she doesn't get an infection or possible disease.
"The risks are high for weeks."
The number of bush ticks at Tamworth Marsupial Park is due to the previous period of prolonged dry weather and the area is being sprayed for ticks.
There are now signs at the entrance which offer advice to visitors.