Numerous residents of a city in Ohio have reported encountering nightmarish raccoons that display unsettling zombie-like behavior!
Authorities at the Youngstown police department say that they have received over a dozen calls in the last few weeks from frightened citizens describing the creatures acting particularly strange.
Specifically, they say, the raccoons stand on their hind legs, bear their teeth, and then topple over to the ground where they lay motionless for a while before repeating the puzzling maneuver.
One wildlife photographer who witnessed the weird antics of the animals said he's never seen a raccoon behave in such an "extremely strange" way.
Making matters all the more odd is that these incidents have occurred during the daytime, which is atypical for the nocturnal creatures, and that loud noises which would normally scare the animals away seemingly have no effect on them.
While one might suspect that the raccoons are simply rabid, wildlife experts say that is probably not the case and that, based on witness descriptions, the creatures are likely suffering from a disease known as distemper.
And, although humans cannot contract the illness, they warn that dogs can and so pet owners should be mindful of that until the odd outbreak can be contained.
Source: WKBN