{"id":3900,"date":"2025-08-18T17:57:55","date_gmt":"2025-08-18T17:57:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/horizonvibe.com\/?p=3900"},"modified":"2025-08-18T17:57:56","modified_gmt":"2025-08-18T17:57:56","slug":"zombie-squirrels-with-oozing-flesh-terrify-u-s-homeowners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/horizonvibe.com\/?p=3900","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Zombie Squirrels\u2019 with oozing flesh terrify U.S. homeowners"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Squirrels with \u201cZombie-Like\u201d Growths Alarm Americans<\/strong><br>Disturbing sightings of squirrels with oozing sores, wart-like lumps, and swollen faces have surfaced across the U.S., sparking concern online. Social media users have dubbed them \u201czombie squirrels\u201d after images showed animals with grotesque masses on their faces and bodies. One Reddit user posted, \u201cAny ideas what is going on with this little fella?\u201d thinking the squirrel had food on its face\u2014until the growths moved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Culprit: Squirrel Pox<\/strong><br>Experts confirm the cause is squirrel pox (squirrel fibromatosis), a naturally occurring virus that causes large, unsightly skin tumors. Wildlife biologist Shevenell Webb explained, \u201cIt is naturally occurring and will run its course in time.\u201d Though alarming, the virus is often not fatal unless growths block vision or eating. \u201cFor the most part, squirrels with squirrel pox are just really ugly to look at,\u201d Webb said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/08\/18114128\/lumps1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-174312\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Keep Your Distance<\/strong><br>The disease spreads easily, especially at bird or squirrel feeders where animals gather. \u201cIt\u2019s like when you get a large concentration of people. If someone is sick\u2026others are going to catch it,\u201d said Webb. Some squirrels may also show similar symptoms from botfly infestations, which require expert removal. Evelyn\u2019s Wildlife Refuge warned: \u201cOnly skilled rehabbers or vets should attempt to extract bots.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Humans and Pets Are Safe<\/strong><br>Luckily, squirrel pox is not a threat to humans, cats, or dogs. \u201cBiting insects, such as mosquitos, are likely the primary route of transmission between squirrels,\u201d said the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. While unsettling, many infected squirrels recover. One person shared: \u201cHe beat the worst squirrel pox I have seen\u2026almost full function again and is socializing a little too!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/08\/18113903\/ser.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-174310\"\/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Squirrels with \u201cZombie-Like\u201d Growths Alarm AmericansDisturbing sightings of squirrels with oozing sores, wart-like lumps, and swollen faces have surfaced across the U.S., sparking concern online. Social media users have dubbed them \u201czombie squirrels\u201d after images showed animals with grotesque masses on their faces and bodies. One Reddit user posted, \u201cAny ideas what is going on&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3901,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3900","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/horizonvibe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3900","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/horizonvibe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/horizonvibe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/horizonvibe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/horizonvibe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3900"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/horizonvibe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3900\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3902,"href":"https:\/\/horizonvibe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3900\/revisions\/3902"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/horizonvibe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3901"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/horizonvibe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3900"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/horizonvibe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3900"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/horizonvibe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3900"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}