Keen eyed animal park goers across the nation have noticed an alarming rise in the number of zombie-like squirrels covered in sores and warts, leading experts to issue a warning surrounding the undead-looking creatures.
There have been a number of 'zombie' scares in recent years across the United States, from human medicine using fungus that inspired The Last of Us to 'Frankenstein' rabbits that have grown tentacles from their bodies.
Zombie viruses have even emerged in certain parts of the world after being frozen for 50,000 years, and research has shown that it wouldn't take very long for a zombie apocalypse to take hold of an entire city if it did start to spread.
That's why so many people have been worried after experts have revealed the rise in infected squirrels that look an awful lot like they have been zombified, and experts have issued advice as to how we should deal with this potentially dangerous trend.
What is causing the rise of infected 'zombie' squirrels?
As reported by UNILAD, people have started to spot strange warts and sores on squirrels over the last couple of years, with some even thinking initially as if it was something that the furry animals were eating.
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It's particularly alarming for people as squirrels are known for their cute and often friendly appearance, so seeing them take the visual form of the undead can leave you shocked, especially if you don't know what has caused it.
According to wildlife biologist Shevenell Webb, the cause of these often disgusting looking mutations on the bodies of squirrels is what's known as 'squirrel pox', and she has issued a warning for people to stay clear whenever possible.
"I would not recommend trying to capture a squirrel that has the virus," Webb explains, while reassuring everyone that "it is naturally occurring and will run its course in time."
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It's unfortunately incredibly easy for this disease to spread though, as it is most commonly picked up when squirrels are in close proximity and come into contact with another's saliva, using bird feeders as the prime spreading ground.
"It's like when you get a large concentration of people. If someone is sick and it's something that spreads easily, others are going to catch it," Webb illustrates.
"You have one squirrel eating at the feeder that has the virus and its saliva gets on the feeder of the other seeds. Then another squirrel comes along and comes in contact with that saliva — it's the perfect place to spread squirrel pox."
How dangerous are zombie squirrels
Thankfully while it certainly isn't very nice to look at, squirrels infected with squirrel pox are completely harmless to humans, and it only rarely deals any serious damage to the animals themselves.
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"It's nothing to really worry about," explains Webb when discussing the risk of these zombie squirrels. "For the most part, squirrels with squirrel pox are just really ugly to look at."
The worst case scenario for the squirrels that do become infested though is when the lumps spread to their internal organs, causing potentially fatal consequences. This only occurs in extreme cases though, and largely they remain fine with the lumps passing after a short while.