A raccoon broke into a liquor store in Virginia, USA, and caused chaos after consuming alcohol. The incident came to light when an employee found the animal lying face down inside the shop.

The animal entered through a fallen ceiling tile before knocking over several bottles of whisky and scotch on the lower shelves. Alcohol was spilled across the floor, and multiple bottles were destroyed, news agency AP reported.

The incident took place on November 30.

Animal control officer Samantha Martin responded and transported the raccoon to a local shelter. She confirmed the animal appeared to have consumed alcohol before passing out.

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“I personally like raccoons,” said Samantha Martin, an officer who works at the local animal control. “They are funny little critters. He fell through one of the ceiling tiles and went on a full-blown rampage, drinking everything.”

“Another day in the life of an animal control officer, I guess,” she said.

The Hanover County Animal Protection and Shelter stated that the raccoon recovered after several hours of rest and showed no injuries. Officials released it back into the wild later that day.

“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, hopefully having learned that breaking and entering is not the answer,” the agency said.

A video of the incident was shared online and quickly went viral. In the footage, the raccoon is seen slumped near a rubbish bin and a toilet, barely moving after its alcohol-fuelled spree. Another section of the video shows a store aisle covered with shattered liquor bottles. As the clip spread across social media, users reacted with amusement, highlighting the bizarre nature of the scene.

(With inputs from AP)