Written by fypfeed in News On 14th August 2025
‘Frankenstein’ Rabbits With ‘Tentacles’ Unusual and alarming disease is sweeping across rabbit populations across the US wildlife officials emphatically warning people to stay away from the area, particularly after learning from Covid-19.
A dangerous virus is spreading all over the US and is affecting fluffy, soft rabbits, changing them into gruesome “Frankenstein” rabbits with bizarre “tentacle-like” growths protruding from their tiny, round faces.
‘Frankenstein’ Rabbits With ‘Tentacles’ Although it may seem like the story of a bizarre Wallace & Gromit story, the were-rabbits actually exist. They’ve been seen in Fort Collins, Colorado, which is located around an hour’s drive to the north of Denver.
The term “lurking” makes them appear much more frightening than they actually are. In reality, they are unlucky animals that are with a risk of death virus. If the condition gets worse and the growths grow, they can impair their vision or mouths which makes it difficult for them to eat or see. This could lead to an inexplicably slow death due to starvation in the event of not being treated.
While it may sound like something from an horror film, it’s the most dangerous scenario. In certain cottontail rabbits the condition may disappear by itself after about an entire year.
“It looked like black quills or black toothpicks sticking out all around its mouth,” told the local’s citizen Susan Mansfield while speaking to WLBT.
“I thought he’d die off during the winter, but he didn’t. He came back a second year — and it grew.”
What is cottontail rabbit-papilloma virus (CRPV)?
The bizarre and debilitating condition is known as the papillomavirus of cottontails (CRPV). It was first discovered around 1933 Richard E. Shope, who found it in the cottontail rabbits throughout the Midwestern United States.
Also known as Shope papillomavirus in honour of its discovererCRPV is an oncogenic DNA virus. It can also cause tumor growth in animals that are infected.
The tumors usually develop in the rabbit’s skin but the virus could cause cancers of the squamous cell, which is a deadly form of cancer.
How can CRPV be spread?
Researchers have discovered that the virus is typically transmitted initially by bite-bitten insects such as ticks and mosquitoes that carry it from rabbit to the next.
It can also be transmitted through rabbits directly, particularly through skin lesions that allow the virus to be easily absorbed.
Additionally it is possible to transmit the virus through indirect means. The virus is spread via sharing bedding, food and water containers. Researchers have even suggested that papillomaviruses may be spread through blood transfusions, however, the idea that rabbits give blood could be more a comic book scenario, unless you’re discussing Bugs Bunny.
What are the opinions of experts on CRPV?
The positive side is that CRPV is categorized as an non-zoonotic illness that means it can’t be transmitted directly between animals and humans. But that does not mean that humans should have contact with rabbits that are infected.
The issue is that some non-zoonotic illnesses can transform into forms that be harmful to humans, just as we have seen in the case of SARS-CoV-2 which is responsible for Covid-19.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) has issued explicit guidelines regarding the issue informing the public to use extreme care.
As per Eyewitness News 3, CPW advises anyone who stumbles across a rabbit infected with the disease should be careful not to touch it and remain at the rabbit at a safe distance.
Veterinarians suggest that homeowners of domestic rabbits ensure their animals are protected from being exposed to insects. If a rabbit’s owner does become injured and develops growths and tumors, removal of the cancerous growths by a vet could stop the cancer from developing into cancer.
