A bacterial disease of wildlife that can be transmitted to humans and their pets has been found in two cottontail rabbits a few miles northeast of Guernsey in Platte County.
A landowner in the county discovered about 20 dead rabbits and contacted the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. Two of the dead rabbits tested by the agency tested positive for tularemia.
Tularemia is fairly common in rodents and rabbits and occasionally spills over into other host species, including humans.
It occurs almost every year somewhere in Wyoming but is not cause for alarm.
Wheatland Game Warden David Ellsworth says like most other wildlife diseases, tularemia is more likely to occur during periods of high animal populations.
