OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. (AP) - Wildlife officials say a there's a major outbreak of distemper in raccoons in the Ocean Springs area of south Mississippi.
Ocean Springs Animal Control Officer Alvin Flowers tells the Sun Herald (
http://bit.ly/pzHF9a ) that symptoms of the virus can be seen in animals that are disoriented, with gummy eyes and unable to use their legs.
Flowers captured such a raccoon Wednesday in a backyard. He's seen this again and again since mid-June with some cases worse than others, but all fatal.
Why this is happening now is a mystery, but animal-virus experts say heat is a factor. Distemper is a viral disease that is not a threat to humans.
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