ASHLAND, Va. — Al, the raccoon who broke into a Virginia ABC Store, shattered some bottles of alcohol, drank their contents and passed out in the bathroom, has gone viral since CBS 6 reported on his antics Tuesday.
Animal protection officer Samantha Martin responded to a call over the weekend. When she arrived at the store, the ABC manager took her into the storage room with broken glass all over the floor.
Martin took Al, named after alcohol, to the local animal shelter so he could sober up before being released back into the wild.
Al has since made airwaves on The Today Show, USA Today, CBS News, ABC News and even across the Atlantic Ocean on BBC World News.
The fuzzy creature has also been featured in headlines by the New York Times and the Washington Post.
Al’s drunken rampage marked another in a long list of Central Virginia incidents involving "trash pandas" over the years.
CBS 6 previously reported on how shocked neighbors were after the Virginia Department of Transportation painted over a dead raccoon while working on Route 460 in Prince George County.
There was also Cass Overton, the volunteer at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden who strangled a raccoon who attacked her.
What's your favorite viral story to come out of Central Virginia? Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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