Health Officials Warn Of 'Zombie' Raccoons

MILWAUKEE, WI -- They're lethargic, they wander aimlessly, and animal control officials say they may growl and possess a green tint in their eyes.

They're called "zombie raccoons," and officials at the Wisconsin Humane Society's Wildlife Rehabilitation Center say they see about 100 such cases each year.

Officials in Illinois and Ohio are warning of a increase in the number of sightings of so-called "zombie raccoons," unusual-acting animals infected with the contagious canine distemper virus.

"There's no real aggression. "They're not angry or anything. They're not threatening anything. It's purely involuntary reaction to the virus in their brain," Wisconsin Humane Society Wildlife Director Scott Diehl said in a WTMJ-4 report this week.

Authorities in Ohio have fielded more than a dozen calls over the past several weeks from concerned citizens reporting strange daytime behavior from the nocturnal creatures, and Cook County public health officials report that more than one in four area raccoons are infected with canine distemper.

Read extended Patch coverage from Lorraine Swanson and Jonah Meadows:

• 'Zombie' Raccoons With Distemper on the Prowl, Animal Control Warns
• Fearless 'Zombie Raccoons' Can Be Fatal To Pets

One resident told a local TV station in Ohio 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.

Health officials say canine distemper is transmitted through direct contact, the area, bodily and respiratory fluids and "possibly through contaminated objects," according to the Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley.

The disease has no cure. Canine distemper cannot be transmitted to people, however it can be deadly for dogs and cats. Vets recommend vaccinations for family pets however it's not mandatory.

Below is a video showing the unfortunate effects of canine distemper on a wild raccoon. Discretion is advised due to the nature of this content: