A raccoon’s late-night break-in at a Virginia liquor store last week turned into an unusual animal control call over the weekend after the masked intruder helped itself to bottles of scotch and whisky before passing out inside the business.
The incident happened early Saturday at a closed liquor store in the Ashland area of Hanover County, Virginia. What initially appeared to be a standard burglary quickly took a strange turn.
Raccoon Found After Liquor Store Rampage
According to news reports, the raccoon entered the store when it fell in through the ceiling tiles, smashed bottles on the lower shelves, and left alcohol pooled across the floor. The animal was later discovered passed out on the bathroom floor by a store employee Saturday morning.
“The suspect acted like an animal because, in fact, he’s a raccoon,” the AP reported.
Samantha Martin, an officer with local animal control, responded to the scene.
“I personally like raccoons,” Martin said. “They are funny little critters. He fell through one of the ceiling tiles and went on a full-blown rampage, drinking everything.”
Martin transported the raccoon back to the local animal shelter.
“Another day in the life of an animal control officer, I guess,” she said.
The Hanover County Animal Protection and Shelter later confirmed the raccoon recovered.
“After a few hours of sleep and zero signs of injury (other than maybe 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.
Alcohol and Wildlife: More Common Than You Think
While the Virginia liquor store raccoon may seem like a one-off story, alcohol exposure in wildlife is more common than many people realize. A recent study found that alcohol occurs naturally in nearly every ecosystem. Animals that feed on sugary fruits and nectar regularly consume naturally fermented ethanol.
Raccoons, in particular, are highly adapted to urban environments. Another recent study found that raccoons living around humans are showing physical changes that resemble early domestication, including shorter snouts, smaller teeth, curlier tails, and smaller brains.
“Wherever humans go, there is trash,” Dr. Raffaela Lesch, an assistant professor of biology at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, told The Guardian. “Animals love our trash. It’s an easy source of food.”
For outdoorsmen, campers, and the like, this story serves as another reminder to properly secure food, trash, and even alcohol while in wildlife country. OutdoorHub previously covered a feral pig in Western Australia that stole and consumed 18 beers from a campsite before fighting a cow — a reminder that wildlife will investigate almost anything left unsecured.
Other Cases of Wildlife Consuming Naturally Occurring Intoxicants
Raccoons aren’t the only animals known to take a walk on the wild side. In parts of North America, waxwings, robins, and cedar birds are known to become visibly intoxicated after eating overripe fermented berries, particularly during late summer and early fall. Wildlife agencies regularly report incidents of birds flying erratically, crashing into windows, or appearing disoriented after consuming naturally fermented fruit.
In Australia, wallabies have been documented raiding opium poppy fields, consuming the plants, and exhibiting altered behavior. In Africa and parts of Asia, elephants have been observed eating naturally fermented fruit, sometimes leading to temporary intoxication. Even insects such as fruit flies show a clear attraction to ethanol-producing fruit.
More recently, wildlife rescue groups in Turkey have documented repeated incidents involving brown bears consuming “mad honey”, a naturally occurring hallucinogenic honey made from rhododendron nectar. In one well-publicized case, a bear cub had to be rescued after ingesting the honey and becoming incapacitated.Rac
For outdoorsmen, campers, and landowners, these examples serve as a reminder that intoxication in wildlife is not always tied to human food access—sometimes it’s simply nature doing what nature does.
Why This Matters to the Outdoor Community
From urban raccoons to backcountry bears, animals are increasingly interacting with human food and waste. For hunters, anglers, and campers, proper food storage isn’t just about convenience — it’s about safety, both for people and wildlife.
This Virginia raccoon walked away with nothing worse than a hangover. Others may not be so lucky.
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