Employees of a liquor store in Virginia were stunned when they arrived for work on Saturday morning to find smashed bottles, damaged shelves and liquor spilled all over the floor.

At first glance, the destruction looked like the aftermath of a late-night break-in. But the real culprit wasn’t a thief, it was a raccoon that had apparently indulged in a drunken spree before passing out in the restroom.

Ceiling Collapse Reveals the ‘Masked Burglar’

According to Associated Press, the raccoon is believed to have crashed through a ceiling panel before helping itself to scotch and whisky stored on the lower shelves. The disarray suggested the animal had been on quite a rampage before staggering to the bathroom, where staff eventually found it sprawled on the floor, unconscious and surrounded by chaos.

Animal Control Officer Amused by Unusual Call

Animal control was called immediately. Officer Samantha Martin, who responded to the scene, couldn’t help but laugh at the bizarre situation. She said the raccoon appeared to have drunk heavily after falling through the ceiling. Martin transported the animal to the county shelter, calling the incident “another day in the life of an animal control officer.”

Raccoon Recovers; Released Back Into the Wild

Hanover County Animal Protection and Shelter later confirmed that the animal had fully recovered after some rest. In a light-hearted statement, officials joked that the raccoon was “showing no signs of injury other than maybe a hangover and poor life choices,” and had been safely released back into the wild, hopefully wiser about breaking and entering.

Not the First Time Raccoons Have Caused Chaos

This isn’t the only unusual raccoon-related incident reported this year. In May, Ohio police found a raccoon sitting in the driver’s seat of a car with a glass methamphetamine pipe in its mouth. The car had been stopped because its registered owner had an active warrant.

Wildlife officials note that raccoons frequently wander into residential and urban areas, often finding themselves in unexpected, and sometimes unlawful, situations.

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