In a bizarre incident that sounds more like a comedy script, staff at a state-run liquor store in the United States arrived at work to find their shop ransacked by an unusually intoxicated intruder. The culprit? A raccoon who apparently indulged in a solo, all-night bender.
The Morning After the Break-in
Employees of the Ashland ABC store in Virginia, USA, opened up on Saturday morning, the day after Thanksgiving, to a scene of utter chaos. The store had been closed for the holiday. They were greeted by smashed whisky bottles, expensive liquor pooled across the floor, and a trail of broken glass. Following the mess, they made a startling discovery in the bathroom.
There, spread-eagled between the toilet and a bin, was the "masked bandit" – a very drunk raccoon, completely passed out. The animal had apparently helped itself to the spirits on the bottom shelf after falling through a ceiling tile. Samantha Martin, an animal control officer with Hanover County Animal Protection and Shelter, told the Daily Mail that the raccoon "went on a full-blown rampage, drinking everything."
The 'Suspect' is Taken into Custody
Among the wreckage, BBC News reported, was evidence of the animal's apparent drink of choice: Scotch. With only one blurry CCTV image of the boozy intruder, the exact amount it consumed remains a mystery. Store staff promptly called Hanover County Animal Protection and Shelter for assistance.
Officer Martin responded and collected the unconscious "suspect" for what the shelter humorously described as questioning. In a light-hearted Facebook post detailing the event, the shelter wrote about Officer Martin discovering the suspect had "broken in, ransacked several shelves, and then… passed out in the bathroom."
The shelter confirmed the raccoon was drunk but otherwise unharmed. "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," the post added, hoping the animal learned that "breaking and entering is not the answer."
Raccoons and Human Habitats
This incident highlights how raccoons have remarkably adapted to human environments. Biologists note that these clever animals thrive near humans because of the easy access to food and shelter. Dr. Raffaela Lesch, a biologist at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, recently told The Guardian that trash is an easy feast for animals willing to tolerate human presence.
The Ashland raccoon took this adaptation a step further, skipping the trash bin and heading straight for the top-shelf liquor. The store later thanked the animal shelter on social media for its professionalism and for giving their unexpected visitor "a sober ride home." For her part, Officer Martin deadpanned that it was just another day on the job.
This "Black Friday break-in" serves as a humorous reminder of the unexpected encounters that can occur at the intersection of urban wildlife and human commerce.
