‘Zombie’ raccoons now pose a threat to pets in New Orleans City Park, according to local outlet WGNO.
The racoons are sick with a disease known as canine distemper, according to WGNO.
“The first time I saw them, I thought they were poisoned but it seems like they were sick. They’ve got hunched backs and they are not moving quickly or they are not moving at all” local resident Michael Sloan told WGNO. “Sometimes they are curled up and it looks like they are sleeping.”
Officials warn of sick, zombie-like raccoons in New Orleanshttps://t.co/hWfVdLjiOj
— WBRZ News (@WBRZ) January 26, 2021
“Normally raccoons are nocturnal animals, but these ones you will see in the daytime” Rob DeViney, the New Orleans City Park Chief Operating Officer, told WGNO. “They become lethargic. They are not manic. They often have seizures and runny noses. They are so disoriented.”
DeViney added that the raccoons pose no threat to humans or vaccinated dogs but told WGNO that “the danger to your animal is if your dog drinks out of a puddle that an infected raccoon has had contact with or dogs can get it from raccoon feces.”
To deal with the sick raccoons, DeViney told WGNO that “we to trap them and safely euthanize them.”
Signs are being placed in the park urging people contact the City Park if they see any of the raccoons, according to WGNO.
If you see a sick racoon in the City Park, according to WGNO you should email the time and location of your sighting to cducote@nocp.org. (RELATED: A Raccoon Reportedly Attacked Reporters On The White House Lawn)