I was just reading about rabies. Real-life animal zombies! It’s a virus that attacks the nervous system of raccoons and other animals. It increases their saliva production, attacks the inhibition parts of their brain, and makes them more aggressive. In other words, it turns them into angry, salivating animal zombies intent on biting to spread the disease.
It reminds me of the parasite that takes control of some snails. It makes them climb high up on tree branches and visibly pulsates in their antenna so that birds will see and eat them. A bird gobbles up the antenna and becomes the new host to the parasite. The parasite’s eggs end up in the bird’s droppings. The snail eats the eggs and it starts all over. The poor zombie snail goes on to regenerate its antenna and produce more parasites.