More ‘Frankenstein’ rabbits are appearing across the US, sparking fears of a wider outbreak.
Initially discovered in Colorado, these strange rabbits bearing tentacle-like growths on their faces are now being observed in Minnesota, Nebraska, and South Dakota.
These rabbits carry the cottontail rabbit papilloma virus (CRPV), or Shope papilloma virus, which can be transmitted through bites from mosquitoes and ticks.
Although it’s unlikely for humans to catch CRPV, Dr. Omer Awan from the University of Maryland School of Medicine warns that people still face potential risks from other diseases carried by ticks or mosquitoes that may have fed on these infected rabbits.
‘You’re not going to get CRPV, and you likely won’t show symptoms of it,’ Dr Awan told the Daily Mail.
‘Despite this, indirect exposure through ticks or mosquitoes that have bitten infected animals could occur, thereby increasing the risk of contracting a different illness.’
Indeed, illnesses spread by disease-carrying pests to humans include Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, both spread by ticks.
West Nile Virus, Zika Virus, Dengue Fever and Chikungunya are all spread by mosquitoes and can be fatal in severe cases.
A Reddit user recently posted images of a rabbit in Shope papilloma virus in Saint Paul, Minnesota in late July
A user on Reddit posted an image in 2024 of a rabbit in Fort Collins, Colorado exhibiting signs of Shope papilloma virus
Dr Awan advised the best course of action is to avoid contact with infected rabbits and ensure any pet rabbits are protected from insects.
Dr. Awan further cautioned that Americans should brace themselves for the possibility of witnessing more instances of this unsettling condition spreading beyond the Midwest in future years.
‘As temperatures continue to warm, we’re likely to see this condition become more common over time and spread to areas previously unaffected,’ Dr. Awan noted.
‘We have a series of states already in the Midwest, but perhaps it could go even more south in the United States, maybe Southwest as well. I do believe that this will become more of an increasing problem as time goes on,’ he added.
Dr Awan noted that it’s ‘extremely unlikely’ that CRPV will eventually jump to humans, even as cases among rabbits grow, but he admitted that it’s not completely impossible.
‘You can never say never with science or with viruses, because they always mutate and things can change very fast, but I don’t see that happening in the near future with CRPV,’ the doctor said.
The latest sightings posted on social media have moved north of Colorado, reaching several major cities in central Minnesota.
In a series of pictures posted to Reddit in late July, one person revealed that infected rabbits were now in Saint Paul. Others reported seeing them in Minneapolis.
‘We live in Plymouth, and our neighborhood bunnies have the same thing,’ another Minnesota resident added.
A video posted to X on August 18 captured a rabbit with its face covered in CRPV growths in Sioux Falls, South Dakota – nearly 500 miles from the sightings in Colorado.
The virus is not thought to be painful unless the growths affect a rabbit’s eyes or mouth
Another Reddit user captured images of a rabbit in Colorado (pictured) exhibiting the early stages of the disease spreading throughout the US
The first sign that a rabbit has the virus is red, raised spots on their skin that eventually turn into wart-like tumors.
In many cases, these warts develop into keratinized papillomas, the ‘horns’ and ‘tentacles’ seen growing out of midwestern rabbits.
However, some of the warts can turn into a squamous cell carcinoma, a serious skin cancer that can be deadly if it spreads and isn’t treated early.
Dr Awan noted that even if the warts don’t turn cancerous, they can continue to grow for years and become a major vulnerability to rabbits in the wild.
‘What can happen is they can obstruct their vision, it can get close to their mouths, and it can prevent them from feeding properly, and they can even starve,’ the medical expert explained.
‘For others, it can make them more vulnerable to predators. So, it can certainly do harm.’
Dr Awan claimed climate change was the driving force behind the widespread increase in sightings this summer.
‘This is the time when mosquitoes and ticks thrive in these warmer temperatures, so because they’re able to thrive, they’re able to infect more rabbits, and hence, we’re getting more CRPV cases,’ Dr Awan said.
However, it’s not just cases of rabbit diseases that are going up. Cases of Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in humans have risen in the US in recent years.
‘These temperature changes are resulting in diseases that were never endemic in certain areas to become endemic,’ Dr Awan said.
‘If you take a look at Lyme disease, for example, we’re starting to see it in areas that we never saw it before… places like southern Canada, northern states on the East Coast, like Maine.’
