KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Packs of fearless virus-infected raccoons would fit in very well with the murder hornets and suburban tiger "sightings" that defined this year, but surprisingly -- this is one thing defying our expectations for 2020.
Raccoons with distemper have become a problem in East Tennessee in the past few years, but Knoxville Animal Control officers say they appear to be less of a problem in 2020.
In 2019, officers said they had been called frequently to trap wild raccoons, many with distemper. Compared to the last two years, though, they said the calls have been less frequent.
Distemper is a viral disease that is deadly and highly contagious in small animals such as dogs, raccoons, skunks and ferrets. Much like rabies, distemper can make raccoons act fearlessly aggressive toward humans and pets.
As the disease gets worse, raccoons will begin to look sickly and act in strange ways --such as stumbling around or sitting in the same place for a long time without moving.
Animal control officers said people should keep an eye out in their neighborhood for any raccoons that may be infected and report it immediately so it doesn't spread to pets or more raccoons.
"If it's sick, it'll show signs like stumbling or other odd behavior that's not normal raccoon behavior -- and then it's important to call animal control because if the animals sick we need to be able to transport it to the shelter," KPD Senior Animal Control Officer Amanda Cameron said.
Above all else, people should not try to approach or help sick wild animals on their own -- and should instead call 311 to contact animal control.