‘Zombie' rabbits with tentacles have been spotted in the wild – is your pet safe?
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
HORRIFYING images of 'zombie' rabbits with tentacles sprouting out of their heads have been circulating online - so is your pet bunny safe?
The traumatising snaps have led to widespread panic, with many likening the infected wild rabbits to scenes from HBO zombie apocalypse hit The Last of Us.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
2
The horrifying snaps show rabbits with 'tentacles' on their faces
Credit: Reddit
2
The rabbits look like something out of a horror film
Credit: Reddit
Residents of Denver, Colorado caused an online frenzy when they began posting pictures of the bunnies, with one Instagram user stating "This is how the zombie virus starts."
Another resident posted a clip of the rabbits to YouTube, with the caption: "We've got freaking zombie rabbits now?!"
Some first thought that the images were AI, but unfortunately, the horrible disease is real.
Zombie rabbits
According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the wild animals are suffering from Shope Papilloma Virus, which causes horn-like black growths to protrude from their faces.
However, Kara Van Hoose, a spokesperson for the agency said that they are not an unusual site.
The grotesque-looking virus is mostly found in the Midwest of America and is transmitted through ticks and mosquitoes, meaning it is more prevalent during the hot summer months.
It can also be passed on from rabbit to rabbit.
Thankfully, the disease is relatively harmless, unless the black tentacle-like growths grow on sensitive areas such as the eyes and mouth, or prevent the rabbit from eating.
Once the rabbit's immune system has fought off the virus, the growths will disappear.
The virus cannot be passed on to other species, such as dogs or humans.
Horror as rabbits 'with tentacles and horns growing from their heads' are spotted & public urgently warned to stay away
However, people have been warned not to touch the infected rabbits.
Is my pet rabbit safe?
Although the disease is relatively harmless to wild bunnies, it can be dangerous for pet rabbits.
Officials have warned anyone with an infected pet rabbit to take it to the vet for treatment.
Thankfully, Shope Papilloma Virus does not occur in the UK and Europe, so your bunny should be safe from the disease.
What Is Shope Papilloma Virus? A viral disease causing wart-like tumors on rabbits, mainly on their heads, ears, and eyelids.
Spread by biting insects like mosquitoes and ticks.
Tumors can be benign or turn malignant (cancerous).
Commonly affects wild and pet rabbits, especially during summer and fall.
Treatment usually involves surgical removal of growths.
Prevention focuses on protecting rabbits from insect bites
The horror-movie-esque disease is thought to have inspired the mythical jackalope, which is a rabbit with horns protruding from its head.
And although unpleasant to look at, the tentacles have contributed to life-saving science, including our understanding of how viruses can be linked to cancer.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Bindi Irwin: 'Genuinely healing' after 13 years of endometriosis pain
Australian conservationist and TV personality Bindi Irwin has said she is "genuinely healing" after suffering years of pain from endometriosis and called for greater understanding of the who first revealed her decade-long struggle with the disease in 2023, said in an update, she was "slowly gaining my strength back" and "beginning to recognise myself again".After feeling "utterly ashamed" when told her pain was "just part of being a woman", the 27-year-old said society needs to remove the stigma around women's story has reignited conversations worldwide about the condition which can cause severe pain and infertility, affecting about one in ten women. "Young girls and women shouldn't feel alone with pain in the driver's seat of their lives," she wrote in an Instagram post to her 5.7 million followers. "We need to take away the stigma of talking about women's health. It's time to have open discussions and make change on a global scale."Irwin's original 2023 Instagram post on her struggles with endometriosis got more than 1.1 million likes, with her latest update attracting about 260,000 is caused when tissue similar to the womb's lining grows in other parts of the body such as the ovaries and fallopian can cause extreme pain during periods, sexual intercourse and bowel movements, as well as pelvic pain, abdominal bloating, nausea and is no currently no known reason or cure for the condition. Irwin wrote that after "13 years of fighting for answers" and two surgeries where she had 51 lesions, a cyst and her appendix removed, she was finally on the mend."I can function in everyday life without wanting to throw up or pass out from the pain," she wrote."I felt utterly ashamed as a teenager and young adult being told that my pain was just part of being a woman. I felt lesser. I felt hurt. I felt weak. That is not ok."Irwin is the daughter of Steve Irwin, an Australian conservationist and TV documentary host who was best known as the "Crocodile Hunter" before he died in has since carved out her own path as a self-described wildlife warrior and runs Australia Zoo with her mum Terri and brother is married to Chandler Powell and gave birth to their daughter, Grace Warrior in Irwin died aged 44 after being stung by a stingray while filming on the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Queensland.
Scottish Sun
5 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Warning as desperate fat jab patients scramble to stock up on Mounjaro before huge price hike
The price of Mounjaro could rise to more than £300 from the start of September GIVE US A JAB! Warning as desperate fat jab patients scramble to stock up on Mounjaro before huge price hike Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) FAT jab users are scrambling to buy Mounjaro before price hikes of more than 50 per cent. Pharmacies reported an influx of phone calls at the weekend as anxious patients tried to stock up. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up A typical monthly prescription for weight loss injection Mounjaro — medical name tirzepatide — could rise from less than £200 to more than £300 from the start of September. Dr Leyla Hannbeck, of the Independent Pharmacies Association, said: 'Some patients have asked to buy in bulk, which is not possible or safe. "There are alternatives and patients should speak to their local pharmacist.' More than a million people in the UK are estimated to be buying fat jab injections privately. read more on fat jabs WEIGH IN Mounjaro vs Wegovy: How the top fat jabs compare as price hike looms Some 625,000 could now switch to rival drug Wegovy, after its manufacturer Novo Nordisk confirmed on Friday that it will not raise its prices. Dr Sophie Dix, from online pharmacy MedExpress, said: 'Our patients are fearful of being unable to afford treatment.' And Sandeep Dhami, from MW Phillips Chemists in the West Midlands, said: 'Patients are going to pharmacies angry and upset at the price hike. "Those on the highest doses, who will face the highest price hike, are particularly concerned.' Experts called for calm and warned users not to be tempted by sellers on social media. Abdal Alvi, at Simple Online Pharmacy, said: 'Cheap is not cheap when it comes to health.' Boots chemist has said it will review its weight loss services in light of the change. Doc gives advice on how to tackle Mounjaro side effect of excess loose skin
Daily Mail
14 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Terrifying 'zombie squirrels' with oozing flesh pods on their bodies invade US backyards
Grotesque squirrels covered in oozing sores have been spotted invading backyards in the US, and a common garden object is helping the animals spread their condition. The disfigured squirrels have been spotted in both the US and Canada in recent months, with social media users on both X and Reddit trying to figure out what's wrong with the rodents. The reports date back to 2023, when residents in Maine captured images of common gray squirrels covered in tumors while visiting their backyards. Witnesses have photographed these hairless growths oozing pus covering most of the animals' bodies, from their heads and eyes to their legs, feet, and genitals. While some on social media have suspected that the animals are carrying squirrel pox, a rare virus in the US that mainly affects red squirrels, others have pointed out that the illness is more likely to be squirrel fibromatosis. This condition is caused by a different virus, resulting in wart-like growths that may ooze fluid but usually heal on their own, and is more common in US gray squirrels. In either case, wildlife experts believe homeowners who put bird feeders in their yards may be unintentionally causing the virus to spread to more squirrels throughout North America. Shevenell Webb from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife said: 'It's like when you get a large concentration of people. If someone is sick and it's something that spreads easily, others are going to catch it.' In November 2024, a Reddit user in the US posted an image of a squirrel covered in tumors consistent with squirrel fibromatosis Squirrel fibromatosis is caused by a virus that cannot be transmitted to people or other animals Squirrel fibromatosis may look terrifying, but it's a common skin disease among gray squirrels in the US. It's caused by the leporipoxvirus and is spread through direct contact between healthy squirrels and the lesions or saliva of infected squirrels, similar to herpes transmission in humans. The disease causes hairless growths or tumors, which can break open and leak clear fluid just like an open wound. Although the virus cannot spread to humans or other animals such as dogs or birds, Webb said people should not touch or attempt to help infected squirrels. 'I would not recommend trying to capture a squirrel that has the virus,' Webb told the Bangor Daily News. 'It is naturally occurring and will run its course in time.' To Webb's point, while the growths can look alarming, they typically heal without the need for medication and are rarely fatal. However, some severe cases of squirrel fibromatosis may affect the animal's internal organs and lead to death. While sightings of infected squirrels date back to the summer of 2023, the most recent cases were posted online less than a month ago. Residents in Canada have also captured images of infected squirrels who were covered in hairless tumors The cases are not believed to be squirrel pox, which generally infects red squirrels and is more common in the UK 'At first I thought it was eating something from my front beds, but then I realized it was on its face,' one Reddit user posted on July 31 after spotting a gray squirrel with a large tumor on its mouth. Wildlife officials noted that sightings tend to rise during the summer when more animals are out gathering food, especially from homes that put out bird feeders. 'Like a lot of people, I love watching birds,' Webb said. 'Unfortunately, you can attract multiple [squirrels] to that feeder and risk exposure if one has the virus.' The expert explained that squirrels with fibromatosis can leave their saliva on uneaten bird seed at these feeders, which healthy animals can then ingest and contract the virus. To this point, wildlife experts have not confirmed whether the new sightings are cases of fibromatosis or squirrel pox (SQPV), but there's less of a chance that squirrel pox is spreading through the US. SQPV is a systemic condition that often results in death among red squirrels, who are more vulnerable to the virus. Moreover, SQPV is more common in the UK, as there are more red squirrels in that country compared to the US and Canada. Fibromatosis tumors typically heal on their own within 2 months and do not return among gray squirrels A similar condition affecting rabbits in the Midwest has prompted many on social media to ask if it would be humane to euthanize animals spotted with these tumors. Just like the rabbits infected with cottontail papilloma virus, causing tentacle-like tumors on their heads, wildlife officials have said that people should leave squirrels with fibromatosis alone. A squirrel's immune system can clear the virus within four to eight weeks, although it may take longer for larger or secondary infections to heal. The condition does not typically come back once a squirrel contracts fibromatosis, and gray squirrels generally recover fully, meaning the horrifying growths won't be visible by the time people see that same animal next year.
