A liquor store in Virginia had an unexpected visitor last weekend when a raccoon caused chaos and surprised the workers. Early Saturday morning, an employee arrived to open the shop and noticed something strange: several whiskey bottles were knocked over and smashed on the floor. At first, the worker thought a break-in had happened, but the truth was much more unusual.
When the employee checked the bathroom, they found a raccoon lying on the floor, completely still and spread out as if it had passed out. The animal appeared to be drunk after getting into some of the broken liquor bottles. Workers believe the raccoon may have fallen through a ceiling tile, landed inside the store, and then wandered around the aisles before knocking things over.
According to Samantha Martin, a local animal control officer, the raccoon “went on a full-blown rampage, drinking everything.” She explained that animals sometimes get into trash or buildings when they are looking for food, but it is very rare for one to end up inside a liquor store. Even more surprising is that the raccoon seemed to drink enough alcohol to make it stumble, fall, and eventually pass out.
Animal control officers safely removed the raccoon from the store and monitored it until it woke up. Luckily, the raccoon did not have any major injuries. Once it recovered, officers released it back into the wild. The store, however, had to be cleaned and restocked because of the damage caused by the animal’s unexpected adventure.
The incident quickly became a funny local story, and many people found it hard to believe that a raccoon could get drunk. Even though the situation made people laugh, officials reminded the public not to approach wild animals, especially if they are acting strangely. In this case, the raccoon seemed fine after its wild night but the store employees will probably remember the event for a long time.
