Fort Collins Rabbits Have Shope Virus Facial Growths

Residents in Fort Collins, Colorado, have reported wild rabbits bearing black, tentacle-like growths on their heads and faces, a sight that has prompted questions about public health and wildlife health. Officials with Colorado Parks and Wildlife say the rabbits are infected with cottontail rabbit papillomavirus, commonly known as Shope papillomavirus, a rabbit-specific virus that creates wartlike tumors and can give the animals a horned or tentacled appearance. The virus poses no risk to humans or to pets, and in most cases the growths fade as the rabbits recover, though they can interfere with eating or vision if they become too large.

Witnesses described the infections with a mix of concern and curiosity. One Fort Collins resident recalled, “It looks like black quills or black toothpicks sticking out around the mouth.” While the appearance is alarming, wildlife officials emphasize that the condition is not unusual and is typically seasonal, arising most often in the warmer months when insects such as fleas and ticks help spread the virus. The growths usually appear around the head and face and may elongate before receding.

CPW spokesperson Kara Van Hoose stressed that the...