"Zombie-like" raccoons terrorize Ohio town
Reports of "zombie-like" raccoons across northeast Ohio baffled police and began attracting national headlines. The animals have been spotted exhibiting bizarre behavior around the city of Youngstown since January 2018.
"Zombie-like" raccoons
Local wildlife photographer named Robert Coggeshall managed to catch a few examples of the strange phenomenon on film.
"Zombie-like" raccoons
Coggeshall was outside playing with his dogs near his house when he spotted one of the raccoons approaching him.
"Zombie-like" raccoons
Thinking quickly, he brought his dogs back inside and grabbed his camera. That's when the raccoon followed them to the door and proceeded to exhibit unusual behavior.
"Zombie-like" raccoons
"He 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," Coggeshall told CBS affiliate WKBN.
"Zombie-like" raccoons
Most of the odd sightings have occurred the daytime, even though raccoons are normally nocturnal.
"Zombie-like" raccoons
Officials from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources believe that the animals are most likely exhibiting symptoms of distemper.
"Zombie-like" raccoons
Distemper can cause animals to cough, experience tremors and seizures, and lose of their fear of humans.
"Zombie-like" raccoons
While officials suspect the animals are likely suffering from distemper, WKBN reports that no one has been able to confirm that yet.
"Zombie-like" raccoons
According to the Youngstown City Health Department, the USDA has begun picking up the carcasses of euthanized raccoons across the area for testing to get to the bottom of it.
"Zombie-like" raccoons
Distemper is a viral disease, which likely would have been transmitted from one raccoon to the next while eating, as city raccoons are less solitary than their country cousins.
"Zombie-like" raccoons
"Raccoons tend to be very social in this aspect that if they find food such as a bird feeder or a garbage can that hasn't been properly stowed, then they will tolerate each other in order to get a meal," Ohio Department of Natural Resources communications specialist Jamey Emmert told the station.
"Zombie-like" raccoons
According to police reports, 19 sick raccoons have been euthanized by police in the area since the first of the year.
"Zombie-like" raccoons
If distemper does turn out to be the root cause of the animals' peculiar behavior, humans are not at risk of transmission.
"Zombie-like" raccoons
The illness can, however, be transmitted to pets if they are not properly vaccinated.
"Zombie-like" raccoons
Until authorities crack the case, residents are encouraged to report any raccoons behaving unusually to their local police station.
"Zombie-like" raccoons
In the meantime, the USDA will continue picking up the euthanized animals' carcasses every week for testing.
"Zombie-like" raccoons
One of the sick raccoons exhibiting bizarre behavior around northeast Ohio, as captured on camera by wildlife photographer Robert Coggeshall.
"Zombie-like" raccoons
A sick raccoon peering around the wall of wildlife photographer Robert Coggeshall's house in northeast Ohio. The afflicted raccoons have lost their fear of humans, which officials point to as a sign of distemper.
"Zombie-like" raccoons
One of the sick raccoons exhibiting bizarre behavior around northeast Ohio, as captured on camera by wildlife photographer Robert Coggeshall.
"Zombie-like" raccoons
One of the sick raccoons spotted acting strangely in the daytime around northeast Ohio.
"Zombie-like" raccoons
One of the sick raccoons exhibiting bizarre behavior around northeast Ohio, as captured on camera by wildlife photographer Robert Coggeshall.
"Zombie-like" raccoons
One of the sick raccoons exhibiting bizarre behavior around northeast Ohio, as captured on camera by wildlife photographer Robert Coggeshall.
"Zombie-like" raccoons
One of the sick raccoons exhibiting bizarre behavior around northeast Ohio, as captured on camera by wildlife photographer Robert Coggeshall.
"Zombie-like" raccoons
One of the sick raccoons exhibiting bizarre behavior around northeast Ohio, as captured on camera by wildlife photographer Robert Coggeshall.
"Zombie-like" raccoons
One of the sick raccoons exhibiting bizarre behavior around northeast Ohio, as captured on camera by wildlife photographer Robert Coggeshall.
"Zombie-like" raccoons
One of the sick raccoons exhibiting bizarre behavior around northeast Ohio, as captured on camera by wildlife photographer Robert Coggeshall. While some people wondered if the animals had rabies, officials believe it is more likely that they are suffering from distemper.
