Discarded moonshine-infused peaches from a distillery nearly killed a baby raccoon in eastern Kentucky after it got incredibly drunk and nearly drowned in a puddle.
Luckily, a nurse stepped in after finding the small raccoon motionless in a dumpster and performed CPR, pulling the animal back from the brink of death.
What happened?
After an adult raccoon was nervously pacing in the distillery's parking lot, employees took note. The workers at the Kentucky Mist Distillery found two baby raccoons in a nearby dumpster, one of which, as The Mountain Eagle reported, was "drunk as a skunk."
One of the raccoons made it back to its mother. The other apparently ate so much fermented fruit that it fell into standing rainwater and stopped breathing, per USA Today.
The upsetting scene led Misty Combs, a registered nurse with the Letcher County Health Department in Whitesburg, to intervene.
In the parking lot, Combs took the baby raccoon out of the dumpster and tried to revive it with CPR.
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Combs said dark water came out as she worked. "With every compression I did, black water would come out of its mouth," Combs explained to USA Today. After a few minutes, the baby raccoon started moving again.
Coworkers then wrapped the animal in a towel, and local authorities later got it veterinary care. The raccoon was nicknamed Otis, a reference to the famously tipsy Otis Campbell from "The Andy Griffith Show."
Luckily, Otis' recovery has been quick. After animal control secured him, the baby raccoon was later taken to a veterinarian by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife, where he received fluids and slept off the alcohol's effects.
By the next day, USA Today reported, the animal was back outside in an area close to where its mother had been spotted.
The distillery has since requested a lidded dumpster from the city to keep wildlife away from discarded fruit and other waste.
Why does it matter?
Human food waste can be dangerous for wildlife. Fermented fruit, alcohol residue, and unsecured trash can attract curious animals with no way of knowing what they are eating. Once thrown out, those materials can quickly become a hazard.
Distillery owner Colin Fultz told USA Today that used alcohol-infused fruit had caused problems before when it was fed to hogs. "There's still alcohol in that (fruit)," he said. "I wouldn't think he would have eaten it. Because what animal drinks alcohol?"
These kinds of incidents can also create safety concerns for people. Raccoons can carry rabies, and sick or intoxicated animals may behave unpredictably.
Improperly contained waste can also pose public health risks to workers, neighbors, and pet owners.
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