HENDERSON (KSNV) — Cottontail rabbits commonly hop around a Henderson neighborhood, attracted to the plenty of greenery.
“We put some roses in, and about six months later, they were all dead. So the rabbits came in and chewed up the roses,” said neighbor Matt Burke.
But lately, neighbors say they’ve been found dead.
In this Nextdoor App, one neighbor explains that they found one bunny dead outside their front door and says it was “intact and looked peaceful.”
Before Nicole could wrap her mind around the dead rabbits, pet cats, and mice have also come up dead.
“If it killed cats and all that, people are trying to get rid of something large. So it’s not only impacting the bunnies, but kittens and cats,” she said.
The Nevada Department of Wildlife couldn’t speak about the other rodents or pets found dead but says the rabbit deaths could be attributed to a highly fatal and contagious virus detected in Nevada 2-years ago called Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus Type 2 (RHDV2).
“It’s easily passed, and once it reaches a rabbit population, it can cause a lot of deaths very quickly,” said Doug Nielsen with the Nevada Department of Wildlife.
But Nicole and other neighbors think it could be human-caused, with other animals dying.
“You broke the law; pay the fine or face the penalty for your peace of mind,” said the concerned neighbor.