'Zombie' Raccoons Invade Ohio Town, Terrify Residents

YOUNGSTOWN, OH — Some raccoons in the Youngstown-area have been exhibiting "zombie-like" behavior, terrifying residents with bizarre antics, according to reports. The animals have been standing on their hind legs, showing their teeth and then falling backwards, slamming into the ground.

One resident told KRON 4 that one of the "zombie" raccoons approached him and his dogs when they were outside playing. The animal "would stand up on his hind legs, which I’ve never seen a raccoon do before, and he would show his teeth and then he would fall over backward and go into almost a comatose condition," the man said.

That interaction was one of more than a dozen that have occurred in the Youngstown-area over the past week. Police have been trying to figure out what's causing the bizarre behavior in the animals.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources told USA Today that rabies is, for once, not the most likely answer. Instead, the raccoons could be suffering from distemper — a viral disease that causes creatures to lose their fear of humans.

Distemper tends to be fatal and can infect domesticated cats and dogs, along with wild carnivorous animals, according to the Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley. In fact, the disease is sometimes called "canine" or "feline distemper" and pets are frequently immunized against it.

The symptoms for the disease run a virtual gamut, including everything from anorexia to squinting to vomiting to lesions on the retina and more. It's a nasty disease for animals.

"The virus that causes canine distemper is transmitted through direct contact with an infected animal, through the air, through bodily secretions, respiratory secretions, and possibly through contaminated objects," the Wildlife Center said on its website.

Pet owners that want to keep their animals safe should get their pooches and kitties immunized, if they haven't already.

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