Strange ‘Horned’ Rabbits Spotted in the U.S. Experts Reveal the Surprising Cause
I haven't watched any horror movies, but the latest Jurassic World installment featured some horrific animals. They were the result of testing and whatnot, and did not turn out quite right.
So, when I saw the news about strange growths on sweet little bunny rabbits, my mind immediately went to horror movie mode. Some of the rabbits have horns, some of them are like tentacles (yuck), and some have atrocious growths around their faces.
What's Up Doc?
I can't write about bunnies without mentioning Bugs Bunny. But seriously, what is up, doc? Okay, forget about my horror movie/science project theories. Let's check in with the experts about these mutated rabbits.
Why These Colorado Bunnies Look Like They Hopped Out of a Horror Movie
It's Just a Virus
These little cottontail bunnies are very common in Colorado. According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the strange growths are caused by a virus. It's called Shope papilloma virus, and it won't harm the little cottontails, unless it covers their eyes.
Rabbit papillomas are growths on the skin caused by the cottontail rabbit papillomavirus. The growths have no significant effects on wild rabbits unless they interfere with eating/drinking. Most infected cottontails can survive the viral infection, after which the growths will go away. For this reason, CPW does not recommend euthanizing rabbits with papillomas unless they are interfering with the rabbit’s ability to eat and drink.
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