Distemper outbreak causing ‘zombie’ raccoons
By WENDY HUNDLEY
whundley@dallasnews.com
“It’s like we’ve got an entire population of zombie raccoons,” said Bonnie Bradshaw, with 911 Wildlife, which has a contract with Dallas Animal Services to pick up the animals.
The sick animals are often seen wandering around listlessly or sitting quietly in residential areas.
They are so weak and lethargic they appear to have lost any fear of humans. Sometimes they don’t even put up a struggle when they are captured by animal control officers.
“They’re totally passive,” Bradshaw said. “People are saying it must be a pet raccoon because it’s tame.”
Distemper, which has canine and feline forms, is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus similar to the one that causes measles in people. Worldwide, it is the leading cause of infectious disease deaths in dogs, although in the United States it occurs only sporadically, according to the website WebMD. All unvaccinated dogs are at high risk of infection.
Although distemper poses no threat to humans, residents are advised to steer clear of infected animals — which may still be able to inflict a nasty bite or scratch — and call animal control.
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