Washington Confirms First Wild Rabbit RHDV2 Case

Testing has confirmed that a rabbit on Whidbey Island died of rabbit hemorrhagic disease earlier this month. This is the first known case of the disease in a wild lagomorph (rabbits, hares, and pikas) in Washington state. 

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) collected the infected Eastern cottontail rabbit from a landowner with private property near Langley on July 6. Positive test results for the disease were provided by the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory at Washington State University on July 12 and by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories on July 19. The full news release is HERE.