A Strange Virus Killing Off Wyoming Rabbits

I don't see any rabbits wearing masks. They are certainly not social distancing. Still there is something out there that is killing off Wyoming rabbits in record number. It is not yet as to if they are dying faster than they can reproduce, which is a rather fast pace.

Wyoming Game and Fish Department spokeswoman Sara DiRenzo said the deadly virus known as the Rabbit hemorrhagic disease. The strange part is that it came from France back in 2010. So, how did it make its way to the U.S.?

It's not just the wild rabbits that have it. Domesticated rabbits are getting it to.

The latest count is 83 cases statewide. But those are the case we know of.

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Whatever this is it kills the rabbit quickly without them showing any symptoms.

"They should be rabbits that don't have an obvious cause of death. What it looks like is that you may come upon a rabbit that looks like it just laid down… and died. There is no other cause of death as if it was preyed on by coyotes or something," DiRienzo explained. (Wyoming Public Media).

This disease will spread by nose-to-nose contact, which rabbits do a lot, feces, and dead rabbit carcasses. So far this disease only affects animals in the rabbit family. Nothing has shown a spread to anything else, including humans.

"What we're asking precaution-wise, is for the public to report any dead rabbits that they come across or find. It's really important to not touch the rabbit or pick them up themselves and call Game and Fish. We'll help pick up those rabbits for testing," said DiRienzo. (WPM).

If you find a dead rabbit without obvious signs of what killed it please call the nearest Game and Fish regional office. They are working on a study and need every case they can find.