An unusual incident unfolded at the Ashland ABC store in Virginia on Saturday: a drunk raccoon broke in, smashed several bottles, and passed out in the bathroom. The event took place over the post-Thanksgiving weekend, when the store was closed.
The animal, quickly dubbed the ‘masked bandit,’ was found by staff lying between the restroom and the trash can. Samantha Martin from Hanover County Animal Protection and Shelter took the raccoon in for observation, giving it time to recover from its boozy escapade.
How the Raccoon Spent Black Friday
When the Ashland ABC team entered the store, they found broken bottles and puddles of liquor on the floor. The raccoon seemed to have a taste for bottom-shelf Scotch whisky. According to Samantha Martin, the animal had fallen through the ceiling and embarked on a ‘liquor tour,’ sampling various spirits. After a few hours’ sleep and with no visible injuries (aside from a possible hangover), the raccoon was released back into the wild. The store thanked the shelter staff on social media for the ‘sober ride home’ for their unusual guest. ‘It’s just another day in the life of an animal control officer,’ Martin remarked [1].