It’s only natural for people to panic when it comes to rabid animals. After all, it’s one of the few diseases that still have no treatment. Without a preventative vaccine, the death rate is 100 percent. In short, it’s nothing to mess around with.
Thankfully, the result of recent sightings of supposedly rabid raccoons in West Virginia had a much happier outcome.
When residents of Milton saw a group of raccoons stumbling around, they naturally thought of the worst-case scenario.
But the furry creatures weren’t rabid. They’d been enjoying some fermented crabapples and were sloppy drunk.
“So, Ptl Scarberry made his first apprehension today, taking this masked bandit into custody with the assistance of Sgt Collins and several neighborhood residents,” reads a statement from the local PD. “We have had calls on suspected rabid raccoons twice over the last two days. Turns out they appear to be drunk on crabapples. Ptl Withers caught one yesterday on Brickyard Ave with the help of the city street department.”
Hopefully, they learned their lesson about overindulging in naturally occurring apple cider.
Officers had a bit of fun with the stumbling animals, catching a couple of photos of their antics on a drunk cam. They even affectionately named one of the irresponsible critters “Dallas” before releasing them back into nature.
“Today’s culprit was on Highland Ave and Mason Street and it was a community effort,” continued the statement. “Both coons were released near the woods unharmed. If you see a staggering and disoriented raccoon, please do not approach it. It could be sick so call us and we’ll take care of it. Welcome to Milton, Dallas.”
Thankfully, for the raccoons and residents of Milton alike, there was a happy ending.
Milton isn’t the only town that’s had a problem with local animals having too much fun with substances.
Back in October 2018, residents of Gilbert, Minnesota, were alarmed to see bird populations around town going wild, smashing into cars and windows and generally acting disoriented.
The culprit? An early frost had set in, fermenting berries. The birds were simply having a party … and the results were hilarious.
The local police department had plenty of helpful things to say on the matter.
“There is no need to call law enforcement about these birds as they should sober up within a short period of time,” said an official statement from the Gilbert Police Department. “However, we would like you to call the Gilbert Police Department if you see the following: Bigbird operating a motor vehicle in an unsafe manner, Tweety acting as if 10 feet tall and getting into confrontations with cats, any other birds after midnight with Taco Bell items.”
Residents had a fun time with the local disturbance, too.
“There goes the chance of any bird from Northern MN ever being on the Supreme Court,” Facebook user Angel Johnson commented.
Maybe even more hilarious was an incident back in April 2018 in Wayne Township, Indiana.
Firefighters at a local fire station were alarmed to hear a woman ringing their doorbell long before their normal morning hours. She was clutching her pet raccoon. The issue? The animal was acting odd, lethargic, and confused.
The woman said that the pet had gotten into someone else’s marijuana plant. The result was that it was stoned out of its mind.
The firefighters said that they usually try to help animals that are brought to them for help. In this case, unfortunately, there wasn’t a lot they could do except to advise the raccoon to take a long nap.
With the increased legalization of marijuana, there are more stories of animals ingesting pot with hilarious effects.
Usually, the culprits are dogs, and they make it through their trips just fine. Of course, pet owners should never deliberately let their pets ingest marijuana.
If pets eat too much pot in any form, including candy, edibles, and raw marijuana leaves, they may require a trip to the vet for some activated charcoal. This can draw much of the drug from their stomach and make the trip a little easier on their bodies.
The biggest issue with pets getting into marijuana stashes is they don’t know when to stop.
So, while a human usually won’t become seriously ill over eating a single pot candy, a dog doesn’t know to stop at one.
Although it is funny to see pets who get drunk or stoned, pet owners should make sure it never happens intentionally. They should also keep an eye on them and, if possible, know how much they’ve ingested. There’s a difference between getting into a couple pieces of pot candy and eating an entire pan of pot brownies. When in doubt, give your vet a call to make sure your pet is OK.
One family in Nantucket had an interesting experience when their pet pig, Nigel, got into a package of pot cookies.
After a long nap, Nigel was just fine. His most intense symptom? A serious case of the munchies. His owners couldn’t give the distressed pig enough to eat. Thankfully, all turned out well for Nigel, as it does for most animals.
At the end of the day, things like caffeine are actually much more dangerous for your pet than a dose of marijuana. You’ll probably just have a glassy-eyed animal friend on your hands for a few hours.
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So, Ptl Scarberry made his first apprehension today, taking this masked bandit into custody with assistance of Sgt…
Posted by Milton Police Department on Monday, November 12, 2018
