Latest news with #ShopePapillomaVirus
The Irish Sun
4 days ago
- Health
- The Irish Sun
‘Zombie' rabbits with tentacles have been spotted in the wild – is your pet safe?
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. 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.
Scottish Sun
4 days ago
- Health
- Scottish Sun
‘Zombie' rabbits with tentacles have been spotted in the wild – is your pet safe?
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) 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.
Jordan News
4 days ago
- Health
- Jordan News
Pictures of 'zombie-rabbits' with twisting black horns go viral - Jordan News
Pictures of 'zombie-rabbits' with twisting black horns go viral Photos of rabbits in Colorado with black, horn-like growths around their faces have gone viral, with some describing the animals as "Frankenstein-", "zombie-" and "demon-rabbits". اضافة اعلان Residents in Fort Collins near Denver recently began posting pictures of the cottontail bunnies, causing a stir online. "This is how the zombie virus starts," posted one Instagram user on a post showing the rabbits. "We've got freaking zombie rabbits now?!" posted another on YouTube. So what's going on? Firstly, the pictures are real - despite some wishing they weren't. "One time I need this to be AI," wrote one Instagram user on a post showing the horned bunnies. The rabbits are suffering from a relatively harmless disease called Shope Papilloma Virus, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Although the wildlife agency is getting calls from people spotting the infected rabbits in Fort Collins, they're not an unusual sight, according to spokesperson Kara Van Hoose. The disease is mainly found in America's Midwest, according to the University of Missouri, and is more noticeable in the summer, when the fleas and ticks that spread the virus are most active. The virus can also spread through rabbit-to-rabbit contact but not to other species like humans or dogs and cats, according to Ms Van Hoose. People are being warned not to touch the infected rabbits, however. Sky news
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
'Frankenstein' rabbits appear in two more states
The bizarre virus turning harmless rabbits into terrifying, tentacle-faced creatures has been spotted by more Americans, sparking fears that a wildlife crisis is emerging. The 'Frankenstein' rabbits recently made headlines in Colorado, as locals reported seeing the infected animals wandering through neighborhoods. However, the sightings have not been isolated that state. Residents in Minnesota and Nebraska have shared more images and stories of these deformed rabbits popping up. The rabbits are infected with the cottontail papilloma virus (CRPV), also known as Shope papilloma virus, which causes horn- or tentacle-like tumors to grow around the animals' heads and faces. Wildlife officials have urged people who see any rabbits with these growths to stay away and not touch them . The DNA-altering virus spreads when mosquitoes, ticks, or fleas bite an infected rabbit and then transmit CRPV to other rabbits. Since mosquito and tick seasons peak during the warmer summer months, cases of the potentially fatal condition could soon skyrocket throughout the Midwest. After being spotted multiple times in Fort Collins, Colorado, users on Reddit have now reported seeing infected rabbits near the major cities of St Paul and Minneapolis. 'My neighborhood is filled with cottontails with Shope papillomavirus,' one St Paul resident said on Reddit last month. 'Same in Minneapolis. By mid-late summer it seems all the surviving new rabbits have it,' another Reddit user replied. Other Minnesota residents noted that rabbits who did not show signs of the virus had actually become a rarity in the area. Scientists noted that CRPV rarely spreads through direct contact between these rabbits, and there are no known cases of insects infecting people with it through a bite. 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 rabbits' heads. 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. After the recent sightings in Colorado, state parks and wildlife officials noted that other pets, such as dogs and cats, should be immune to the infection as well. Fort Collins resident Susan Mansfield compared the tumors to 'black quills or black toothpicks' sticking out of the rabbits, adding that local witnesses thought the animals would die off during the winter months, which did not happen. In Nebraska, residents also spotted tentacle-covered rabbits continuing to survive in the snow earlier this year. The virus is not thought to be painful unless the growths affect a rabbit's eyes or mouth, interfering with their ability to eat, causing them to die of starvation. Some on social media have questioned whether euthanizing infected wild rabbits would stop the spread. 'Is it more humane to kill them when [they're] like that or just leave them alone?' one person posted on Reddit. 'Put him out of his misery,' another person declared. Despite some people feeling that it would be compassionate to end the rabbits' suffering, animal control officials in the US have not made any kind of recommendation supporting this Colorado Parks and Wildlife added that the virus does not pose a public health risk to people or other species, so the best course of action is to simply leave the rabbits alone. Rabbits that contract the virus have often been the source of stories about the mythical 'jackalope,' which is a rabbit with antlers of an antelope. Stories and illustrations of horned rabbits have appeared in scientific books dating back many years, such as the Tableau encyclopédique et méthodique from 1789. Online, many people commenting on the recent explosion in CRPV sightings have referenced the mythical creature. 'So jackalope myths could have a realistic historical precedent?!' one person on Reddit asked. According to Smithsonian , taxidermist Douglas Herrick was credited with creating the jackalope myth after he and his brother Ralph mounted antelope horns on a jackrabbit they had killed in the 1930s. However, it's believed that the brothers from Wyoming may have been inspired to create the hoax after spotting real cases of CRPV in the wild.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Panic spreads as more 'Frankenstein' rabbits with face-tentacles appear in two more US states
The bizarre virus turning harmless rabbits into terrifying, tentacle-faced creatures has been spotted by more Americans, sparking fears that a wildlife crisis is emerging. The 'Frankenstein' rabbits recently made headlines in Colorado, as locals reported seeing the infected animals wandering through neighborhoods. However, the sightings have not been isolated that state. Residents in Minnesota and Nebraska have shared more images and stories of these deformed rabbits popping up. The rabbits are infected with the cottontail papilloma virus (CRPV), also known as Shope papilloma virus, which causes horn- or tentacle-like tumors to grow around the animals' heads and faces. Wildlife officials have urged people who see any rabbits with these growths to stay away and not touch them. The DNA-altering virus spreads when mosquitoes, ticks, or fleas bite an infected rabbit and then transmit CRPV to other rabbits. Since mosquito and tick seasons peak during the warmer summer months, cases of the potentially fatal condition could soon skyrocket throughout the Midwest. After being spotted multiple times in Fort Collins, Colorado, users on Reddit have now reported seeing infected rabbits near the major cities of St Paul and Minneapolis. 'My neighborhood is filled with cottontails with Shope papillomavirus,' one St Paul resident said on Reddit last month. 'Same in Minneapolis. By mid-late summer it seems all the surviving new rabbits have it,' another Reddit user replied. Other Minnesota residents noted that rabbits who did not show signs of the virus had actually become a rarity in the area. Scientists noted that CRPV rarely spreads through direct contact between these rabbits, and there are no known cases of insects infecting people with it through a bite. 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 rabbits' heads. 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. After the recent sightings in Colorado, state parks and wildlife officials noted that other pets, such as dogs and cats, should be immune to the infection as well. Fort Collins resident Susan Mansfield compared the tumors to 'black quills or black toothpicks' sticking out of the rabbits, adding that local witnesses thought the animals would die off during the winter months, which did not happen. In Nebraska, residents also spotted tentacle-covered rabbits continuing to survive in the snow earlier this year. The virus is not thought to be painful unless the growths affect a rabbit's eyes or mouth, interfering with their ability to eat, causing them to die of starvation. Some on social media have questioned whether euthanizing infected wild rabbits would stop the spread. 'Is it more humane to kill them when [they're] like that or just leave them alone?' one person posted on Reddit. 'Put him out of his misery,' another person declared. Despite some people feeling that it would be compassionate to end the rabbits' suffering, animal control officials in the US have not made any kind of recommendation supporting this Colorado Parks and Wildlife added that the virus does not pose a public health risk to people or other species, so the best course of action is to simply leave the rabbits alone. The virus starts with raised, red spots on the rabbit's skin which eventually turn into tough, wart-like growths on the head and face Rabbits that contract the virus have often been the source of stories about the mythical 'jackalope,' which is a rabbit with antlers of an antelope. Stories and illustrations of horned rabbits have appeared in scientific books dating back many years, such as the Tableau encyclopédique et méthodique from 1789. Online, many people commenting on the recent explosion in CRPV sightings have referenced the mythical creature. 'So jackalope myths could have a realistic historical precedent?!' one person on Reddit asked. According to Smithsonian, taxidermist Douglas Herrick was credited with creating the jackalope myth after he and his brother Ralph mounted antelope horns on a jackrabbit they had killed in the 1930s. However, it's believed that the brothers from Wyoming may have been inspired to create the hoax after spotting real cases of CRPV in the wild.
