As people across the country grapple with the coronavirus, a new viral outbreak is killing thousands of wild rabbits in several states.
A virus discovered in New Mexico in March has now spread to much of the southwest United States, including Texas, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, California, as well as Mexico. The virus poses a fatal threat to pet rabbits, as well.
The highly contagious illness is caused by rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus serotype two. Humans and other animals cannot become infected by it.
The virus affects domestic and wild rabbits, including jackrabbits and cottontails, according to the Agriculture Department, which said the only signs of the disease are sudden death and blood-stained noses caused by internal bleeding. Infected rabbits may also develop a fever, experience a loss of appetite, or show respiratory or nervous signs.
The new outbreak is the first among wild rabbits in North America, but smaller outbreaks have occurred in domestic rabbits in Ohio, Washington, and New York, as well as in feral rabbits in Canada.
Ralph Zimmerman, the state veterinarian in New Mexico, where the new outbreak started, told the New York Times the viral outbreak’s origin is unknown. The disease could have come to the U.S. in an imported rabbit from Europe, where the disease was first discovered in 2010.
It is difficult to help wild rabbit populations, Zimmerman said, but domestic pets face a serious threat. The USDA said approximately 7 million pet rabbits inhabit 3 million households in the U.S.
Experts in the veterinarian community recommend rabbit owners isolate their pet, with the biggest risk being letting it spend time outdoors. The best way to protect rabbits is to keep them inside to avoid potential contraction.
