A raccoon caused chaos at a Virginia liquor store early Saturday morning before being discovered passed out in the bathroom. The animal broke into an ABC Store in Ashland, Virginia, where it targeted the bottom shelf stocked with scotch and whisky. During its escapade, the raccoon smashed several bottles, caused a ceiling tile to collapse, and left alcohol pooled on the floor.

An employee found the raccoon, often referred to as a "trash panda," in a drunken stupor later that morning. Samantha Martin, an animal control officer, commented on the incident, saying, "I personally like raccoons. They are funny little critters. He fell through one of the ceiling tiles and went on a full-blown rampage, drinking everything."

Martin took the raccoon back to the local animal shelter, sharing a few laughs about the unusual situation. "Another day in the life of an animal control officer, I guess," she added. The Hanover County Animal Protection and Shelter praised Martin for her handling of the incident. They confirmed that after a few hours of rest, the raccoon showed no signs of injury, aside from what might be described as a hangover.

The shelter stated, "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."

This incident is not the first time raccoons have found themselves in trouble related to alcohol. In a separate case in Kentucky, a nurse at the Letcher County Health Department encountered a distressed raccoon in a parking lot. The raccoon was attempting to rescue her two pups trapped in a dumpster, which was located near a distillery. The nurse, recognizing the situation, helped the raccoon reunite with her babies after they had likely consumed fermented peaches from the dumpster. "I was like, ‘We have to get them out!’ It was the motherly instinct in me because I saw that momma and she was trying so hard to get her babies back and she didn’t know what to do," the nurse recounted.

These incidents highlight the sometimes humorous and chaotic interactions between wildlife and human environments, particularly when alcohol is involved.