Did 'The Walking Dead' Just Tease a Zombie Tiger?

WARNING: Major Spoilers ahead for the latest episode of The Walking Dead! Continue reading at your own risk...

The Walking Dead has shown, on a number of occasions, that only human beings are affected by the zombie virus. As we've seen with horses in the past, once an animal is bitten by a walker, it doesn't come back. This week though, that could very well change.

Shiva, King Ezekiel's glorious tiger, was killed by a small group of walkers, as she was trying to bide time for her master to escape with his life. If you watched closely, it seemed as though Shiva didn't suffer a normal death. When her blood ran down the creek, the camera focused on one detail in particular.

A mysterious barrel of chemicals laid in the water, spilled out into the location where Shiva was killed. As you could see, it was affecting the walkers that killed her, causing them to have abnormal skin and green blood.

We don't know exactly what was in the barrels, but it was clearly dangerous, and it definitely has an affect on the dead.

This is probably a stretch, but who's to say that substance couldn't have an affect on the dead tiger as well? A simple bite isn't enough to turn her, but there's always a chance the chemical could have some kind of lasting affect.

It probably won't amount to that, but it seems odd for the show to focus on something so random, during such an important moment. Hopefully, as Season 8 continues, we'll get a little clarity regarding the dangerous chemicals.

Maybe the barrels were all part of Fat Joey's grand scheme. After all, everyone knows that guy was up to something big.

The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9 pm ET on AMC. For complete coverage and insider info all season long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter.