For more information about wildlife health in Pennsylvania, please visit www.pgc.pa.gov/wildlifehealth or email pgc-wildlifehealth@pa.gov.
RHD poses a significant threat to the Commonwealth’s cottontail rabbit and snowshoe hare populations due to its ability to spread easily between domestic and wild lagomorph species (i.e., rabbits & hares), short incubation period, high mortality rates, and persistence in the environment. In response to a domestic detection in 2022, the Game Commission established RHD-Disease Management Area 1 (RHD-DMA 1), within which activities are restricted to prevent the introduction and spread of the disease. The following are prohibited within the RHD-DMA: 1) the capture, transport, rehabilitation, or release of any living, wild, free-ranging lagomorphs, 2) the removal or export of any wild, free-ranging lagomorph captured, collected, taken, harvested, or killed within any RHD-DMA or their parts or products (pelts, hides, carcasses, etc.), except meat for human consumption with or without bone, and 3) the direct or indirect feeding of wild, free-ranging lagomorphs. If you observe multiple dead rabbits that have died due to unknown causes, please call 1-833-PGC-WILD or use the online tool at www.pgcapps.pa.gov/WHS. For more information, visit pgc.pa.gov/wildlifehealth/rhd.
The Wildlife Futures Program is a wildlife health partnership between the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine and the Pennsylvania Game Commission. By combining the vast expertise and resources of the Pennsylvania Game Commission and Pennsylvania’s only veterinary school, the Wildlife Futures Program implements a forward-thinking approach to ensure that Pennsylvania’s wild species thrive for generations. The program is actively monitoring the health of many Pennsylvania species, including but not limited to white-tailed deer, wild turkey, snowshoe hare, ruffed grouse, bald eagles, fisher, mink, gray fox, and more. You can assist the Wildlife Futures Program in their research by reporting any wildlife health concerns to the Wildlife Health Survey (below).
The Game Commission’s online Wildlife Health Survey makes it easy to report wildlife health concerns. Access the survey by visiting www.pgcapps.pa.gov/WHS, or by scanning the QR code below. For immediate assistance, call 1-833-PGC-HUNT or 1-833-PGC-WILD.