'Zombie dogs' are roaming the suburbs of Chicago

Coyote with mange. — (Image credit: Facebook/Hanover Park Police Department.)

A zombie dog is not man's best friend, Chicago-area police are warning locals. Undead-looking pups that have been spotted roaming the suburbs are actually coyotes infected with sarcoptic mange, which "causes them to be active in the day," Fox 32 reports.

Symptoms include hair loss and other infections, making them look like "some sort of 'zombie' dog," the Hanover Park Police Department warned.

While these coyotes aren't "typically aggressive" like your regular run-of-the-mill zombies, they are contagious, so you don't want to get too close. "Please DO NOT approach these animals or allow your pets to approach them," the Hanover Park PD added.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.