It’s not just a bad hare day.
A rapidly spreading virus is causing cottontail rabbits to grow black, tentacle-like growths out of their heads, prompting warnings to steer clear of the mutated animals.
The so-called Frankenbunnies have been spotted multiple times in Fort Collins, Colorado. Resident Susan Mansfield told 9News she saw a rabbit with what looked like “black quills or black toothpicks sticking out all around his or her mouth.”
“I thought he would die off during the winter, but he didn’t,” she said. “He came back a second year, and it grew.”
One person described the infected critter as having “a scabbiesh-looking growth over their face.”
The so-called bunny blight is actually a disease called cottontail papilloma virus (CRPV), also known as Shope papilloma virus, which causes cottontails to sprout tumors around their head.
It is spread by parasites ticks and fleas, which pass on the ailment through their bites, according to Pet MD.
“Typically rabbits become infected in the warmer months of summer when transmitted by being bitten by insects like fleas and ticks,” said Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesperson Kara Van Hoose, per the Coloradoan.
While the recent sightings occurred in Colorado, the disease most frequently rears its horny head in the Midwest.
In 2013, a Minnesota resident caused a stir after posting a video of a tendril-ridden rabbit in his backyard, which he dubbed the “Frankenstein” bunny and compared to the mythical Jackalope — a hoax that was promulgated by jokesters sewing antlers onto taxidermy rabbits.
In light of the rampant CRPV sightings, wildlife experts have warned people not to approach or handle any of the afflicted critters.
Thankfully, while the virus can spread between rabbits, it is not known to infect humans or pets and is therefore not considered a threat to public health, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
The rabbits, on the other hand, are often not so lucky.
Although cases can resolve on their own, the Medusa-like protrusions can also balloon up to the point that they interfere with the infected carrot cruncher’s ability to eat, causing the creatures to die of starvation, the Daily Mail reported.
In addition, the disease is more severe in domestic bunnies than their wild brethren, with the big fear being that they can develop squamous cell carcinoma — a serious and potentially fatal skin cancer.
For this reason, experts advise keeping pet rabbits away from pets.
If a rabbit does become infected, veterinarians can surgically excise the malevolent dreadlocks before they can become malignant.
Unfortunately, CRPV has no known cure.
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