Zombie Bunnies Cause Panic in US State

                                                                                 Zombie Bunnies

Zombie Bunnies Cause Panic in US State

A group of rabbits in Colorado, suffering from deformed, horn-like growths, may look like they came out of a low-budget horror movie, but scientists say there's no need to panic: These furry creatures are infected with a relatively common virus.

The rabbits recently spotted in Fort Collins are infected with a virus known as Shope Papillomavirus, which is mostly harmless and causes growths that protrude from their faces like overgrown horns. Images of the bunnies have sparked a wave of derisive nicknames, including "Frankenstein bunnies," "devil bunnies," and "zombie bunnies." But the infection isn't new: the virus inspired ancient myths and contributed to scientific research about 100 years ago.

The virus is believed to have been behind the centuries-old legend of the jackalope in North America, a rabbit with antlers, deer antlers, or other animal forms. The disease has also helped scientists understand the relationship between viruses and cancer, such as human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes cervical cancer.

The virus is named after Dr. Richard Shope, a professor at Rockefeller University, who discovered the disease in cottontail rabbits in the 1930s. News of the rabbits' appearance in Fort Collins, 105 kilometers (65 miles) north of Denver, began spreading after residents began seeing and photographing them.

Cara VanHoos, a spokeswoman for the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Service, told the Associated Press on Wednesday that the agency had received reports of rabbits seen in Fort Collins, but she explained that seeing rabbits infected with the virus is not uncommon, especially in the summer when fleas and ticks that transmit the virus are active. She added that the virus is transmissible between rabbits but does not infect other species, including humans and pets.