Rocky naps inside the Ashland, Virginia liquor store on 29 November 2025. AP Photo
A liquor store worker in Virginia faced an unusual scene early Saturday morning. When the employee opened the shop, broken whisky bottles covered the floor. The surprise grew even larger after a trip to the bathroom revealed a raccoon fast asleep, stretched out on the tiles, and clearly drunk.
Samantha Martin, an animal control officer, explained what happened. “He fell through one of the ceiling tiles and went on a full-blown rampage, drinking everything,” she said. The raccoon had knocked over bottles after crashing through the ceiling, then seemed to help himself to the alcohol before passing out.
Raccoon Sobers Up and Heads Home
Local animal protection staff checked the raccoon later that morning. They confirmed he was drunk but otherwise healthy. After resting for a few hours, the raccoon recovered with no injuries—other than, they joked, “a hangover and poor life choices.”
“He was safely released back to the wild, hopefully having learned that breaking and entering is not the answer,” the agency said. The store cleaned up the glass, but the story quickly spread through the community.
City Raccoons Keep Adapting
Researchers say raccoons living in cities continue to change over time. A recent study found that their snouts have grown shorter than those of raccoons in the wild. City raccoons also tend to have smaller teeth, curlier tails, and even smaller brains. Many of these traits resemble the early stages of domestication.
Experts note that raccoons thrive in cities because they easily survive on garbage. Dr. Raffaela Lesch from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock said raccoons simply need to tolerate people to find food. “Wherever humans go, there is trash,” she said. “Animals love our trash. It’s an easy source of food.”
In Toronto, raccoons appear so frequently that local humour now embraces them. Shirts once printed with “Toronto v Everybody” now read “Raccoons v Toronto.”
Animals and Alcohol: A Global Pattern
This Virginia raccoon is far from the only animal to stumble into trouble after drinking. Studies show that alcohol naturally appears in many ecosystems. Animals that eat fermented fruit often consume small amounts without realizing it.
Past incidents around the world show how animals sometimes overdo it. In Western Australia, a feral pig once stole three six-packs from campers and drank all 18 beers before fighting a cow. In Turkey, rescuers found a young brown bear stumbling through a forest after eating “mad honey,” a rare product that can cause a light, dreamy state.
A Memorable Night for One Raccoon
While the raccoon in Virginia seemed unharmed, the mess he left behind will not be forgotten soon. Store staff say the ceiling will need repairs, but they remain relieved that the animal recovered safely. Residents, meanwhile, continue to share the story of the raccoon who drank too much and slept it off in a shop bathroom.
