Wild animals often use alcohol by eating fermented fruit and grain sugars, but most animals partake responsibly. A raccoon recently got drunk in a liquor store then passed out in the bathroom.
Animals Do Consume Alcohol
It’s no joke, many animals and birds consume alcohol. No, they don’t go to the bar or a party store to shop for their favorite beer or liquor, but they do consume it in nature.
Many fruits, like apples, pears, grapes, cherries, and others, naturally ferment when they’re left to overripen on the tree or fall to the ground. When I was growing up, we had a cherry tree, and at the end of each season the leftover cherries would ferment. Some of the birds that ate them would get buzzed, and after indulging in too many fermented cherries, they’d sometimes end up flying straight into our picture window.
Unlike humans, who may drink to get intoxicated, animals consume fermented fruit primarily for calories. Many animals that eat fermented fruit often have genes that help them break down the alcohol without getting drunk.
Every now and then an animal will drink some spilled alcohol and have more than they should.
Raccoon’s Boozy Adventure Ends in Store Bathroom
Raccoons are pretty savvy when it comes to opening garbage cans, getting into attics, and places they do not belong. Occasionally, a raccoon will find a way to get into a business, and when they do, they usually go looking for something to eat and drink.
According to MLive, a raccoon recently broke into a party store, ransacked several shelves, and in the process knocked over bottles of alcohol. An employee at the store found the raccoon facedown in the bathroom after a night of drinking too much.
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An officer who works for the local animal control was able to capture the raccoon and take it back to the shelter in order to sober up. The animal was uninjured other than a minor hangover, and once the raccoon rested up, it was released back into the wild…