The liquor store where a raccoon was found passed out drunk wasn’t his first break-in.
It was the third.
Hanover County Animal Protection Officer Samantha Martin said that the raccoon had broken into other businesses in the Virginia strip mall, USA Today reported.
“Supposedly, this is the third break-in he’s had. He was in the karate studio – I think he got into the DMV (and) ate some of their snacks one time," she told the “Hear In Hanover” podcast.
Neither the martial arts studio nor the DMV has commented on Martin’s statement, The Washington Post reported.
She also spoke about what happened in the hours after the raccoon’s capture. And after the animal destroyed 14 bottles of rum, scotch, whiskey, vodka, moonshine and spiked eggnog.
“He locked himself in the bathroom, so he knew what he was doing,” Martin said, according to the Post. “People can see the human side of it. I mean, everybody’s been there, everybody’s had a few extra and passed out by the toilet and hoped someone can come and help you the next morning.”
Martin placed it in a dog carrier to allow it to sleep off its bender.
She said that it had to be isolated because if it had broken the skin of someone, even if it was an accident, a rabies test would have been done and the only way to perform it is to euthanize the animal, USA Today reported.
“For his safety, I was dead set — ‘Do not touch this animal. We need him back into the wild,’” Martin said. “Because he didn’t do anything wrong. He was just having a good time!”
Once the raccoon sobered up, he was released back in its own habitat.
“We don’t relocate him, because that’s a death sentence for raccoons,” Martin said. “But somehow, he knows how to get back in this building. He’s a smart little critter!”
While the raccoon was back in his natural home, the animal shelter cashed in on his night of debauchery, raising nearly $252,000 from its “Trashed Panda” shirts, hoodies, mugs and other items showing a “splooted” raccoon near a bottle of booze. As of Monday morning, the shelter sold 18,555 of its 19,000 goal. The online store closes at the end of the week.
“We desperately need (the money) because our shelter is extremely old,” Martin said. “And the county is growing like wildfire – we can’t keep up. We need more kennel space, we need a bigger well … we just need a bigger shelter, for the size of the county.”
They aren’t the only ones cashing in. The Downtown Ashland Association has a raccoon-based scavenger hunt and Virginia Distillery Company posted on social media, “Virginia Distillery Company: Irresistibly smooth. Even if you eat mostly trash, please drink responsibly," the Post reported.
© 2025 Cox Media Group
Sign Up
