Nothing to See Here Just Zombie Raccoons
According to Washington Post, Ohio is having some serious issues with zombie raccoons. Well... they aren't really zombies, but they are acting very zombie-like. So don't grab your bug out bags just yet.
Apparently Ohio folks have been noticing raccoons acting very lethargic, stumbling, hissing while standing on their hind legs. They have also been spotted out in the daylight more and more. Now, the "zombie" symptom is from the raccoons stumbling to walk with their arms stretched in front of them.
Darn! I was really hoping that this was the beginning of a zombie plague... oh well. Maybe next time.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources said the reason behind the strange behavior is disease called "distemper". With a quick google search I found that distemper is "a viral disease of some animals, especially dogs, causing fever, coughing, and catarrh." And does not lead to animals becoming zombies.
If you remember a few years back there was a "distemper" issue in South Louisiana where puppies caught the disease, according to KPLC. This happened in 2016. They suspected that the issue started with raccoons. Hmm... Interesting.