By Miriam Raftery

April 25, 2024 (San Diego’s East County)—A cluster of rabbit deaths in the past week in the Jamul-Dulzura areas has residents and wildlife officials concerned. The State Department of Fish and Wildlife is asking anyone who finds a dead or dying wild rabbit to immediately report it online at Wildlife Mortality Reporting (ca.gov), or phone 916-358-2790.

A state wildlife official told East County Magazine that Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus 2 (HDV2) is a likely possible reason for the deaths, though Tularemia, a tick-born disease also known as Rabbit Fever, is another possibility. A third option suspected locally is a parasite infection, which can migrate to the brain.