'Frankenbunnies' with spikes on heads scaring Americans
A rapidly spreading virus is causing cottontail rabbits to grow black, tentacle-like growths out of their heads, prompting warnings to stay away from the mutated animals.
The creatures, dubbed 'Frankenbunnnies,' have been seen multiple times in Fort Collins, Colo., per the New York Post.
'I thought he would die off during the winter, but he didn't,' resident Susan Manfield told 9News, per the Post, after she said she saw a rabbit with what looked like 'black quills or black toothpicks sticking out all around his or her mouth.'
However, she said, 'he came back a second year, and it grew.'
Another person described the infected rabbits as having a 'scabbiesh-looking growth over their face.'
The bunny problem is caused by cottontail papilloma virus (CRPV), which is also known as Shope papilloma virus. It causes cottontails to sprout tumors around their head and 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,' Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesperson Kara Van Hoose said, per the Coloradoan.
Recommended video
Recent sightings have occurred in Colorado but the disease most frequently comes up in the Midwest.
With rampant CRPV sightings, wildlife experts are warning people not to approach or handle any of the afflicted rabbits.
While the virus can spread between rabbits, it's not known to infect humans or pets. As such it is not considered a threat to public health, according to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
According to the U.K. Daily Mail, the protrusions can grow to the point where they interfere with the infected rabbit's ability to eat, causing the animals to die of starvation.
The disease is more severe in domestic bunnies than their wild brethren.
CRPV has no known cure.
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