People in northern Colorado have been reporting sightings of wild rabbits with black horns and tentacles on their faces. The rabbits appeared to have “black quills or black toothpicks” and “a scabbiesh-looking growth over their face,” some Fort Collins residents told local outlet, 9News. Others have dubbed them “Frankenstein rabbits.”
These dark growths are most likely caused by a virus that tends to pop up in the summer in states like Colorado, South Dakota, Minnesota and Texas.
The virus is Shope papilloma virus (SPV), which causes wartlike, waxy growths on a rabbit’s face and is spread through biting insects like fleas or ticks, Kara Van Hoose, a spokesperson for Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), told Yahoo. The virus is found in cottontail rabbits, especially during summer months, when there is higher rabbit density and insect activity. While CPW has received around a dozen reports of sightings over the last week, Van Hoose speculates that there probably aren’t that many cases of SPV, but rather, many people are likely seeing the same group of infected rabbits.
There is no risk of virus transmission to humans or other animals, though the CPW recommends that humans and pets should still stay away from and not interact with infected rabbits if they cross paths. However, the CPW also notes that domestic rabbits, if they are housed outside, could contract the virus from infected insects or rabbits.
A cottontail rabbit with SPV growths, photographed in Minnesota. (Education Images/Getty Images)
What to do if you spot a rabbit with SPV
Rabbits remain mostly healthy after contracting SPV, even if the growths get very long and start to look like horns, which is why the CPW does not recommend euthanizing the infected rabbits.
“If someone sees a rabbit with the black tumors on its head or neck it is not a concern for Animal Control,” Julie Lindstrom, a supervisor at Sioux Falls Police Animal Control, told Keloland, a South Dakota news outlet. “There is no rehabilitation for wild rabbits with this disease.”
SPV is only harmful when the growths start to interfere with a rabbit’s ability to eat or drink, which does not happen in every case. A person may be able to spot if this is a problem if they notice the rabbit doesn’t seem able to hop properly, Lindstrom said.
If you find a dead rabbit on your property, regardless of whether it is visibly infected or not, Lindstrom notes that it is safe to wear gloves and handle the animal yourself if you feel comfortable.
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