A Virginia raccoon broke into a liquor store and passed out in 2025; a year later, merchandise inspired by its drunken escapade has raised more than $290,000 for an animal shelter

A raccoon that broke into a Virginia liquor store last year, sampled 14 bottles of alcohol and passed out in the bathroom has helped raise more than $290,000 for a local animal shelter through merchandise inspired by its drunken escapade.Nearly a year after the drunken escapade went viral, the Hanover County Animal Protection and Shelter has raised thousands of dollars by selling merchandise inspired by the raccoon’s antics, The Washington Post reported.

How a drunk raccoon became an unlikely face of a fundraiser

What are the odds of a raccoon that wrecked an Ashland, Virginia, liquor store last November becoming the face of a fundraiser for the Hanover County shelter? Apparently, not zero. The unlikely mascot has helped the shelter raise more than $290,000 through merchandise featuring its likeness and the slogan “Trashed Panda”. It is the same shelter that took in the raccoon after it was found passed out in the store.“We never thought a raccoon would do this for us,” Jeffrey Parker, Hanover County’s chief of animal protection, told the outlet. The county did not come up with the merchandise idea on its own. Bonfire, a fundraising merchandise platform, reached out to the shelter after the story went viral. Animal protection officer Samantha Martin told the public-access Hear in Hanover podcast that the offer was simple: the company would make shirts and hand over the proceeds. “We didn’t think it was going to get this much money,” she said.The campaign’s goal was 19,500 items, and it has already sold 19,234. The campaign has raised $292,826. Bonfire’s catalogue now includes mugs, tumblers, stickers, shirts and hoodies bearing the nickname “Trashed Panda”.Ms Martin added that the shelter was desperately in need of funds, as it is “extremely old and the county is growing like wildfire”. The shelter can’t keep up. It needs more kennel space, a bigger well and a bigger shelter to accommodate the county’s growing population.Money from the sales is already being directed towards those needs. Hanover County officials approved body cameras for the department’s eight animal protection officers, and the devices are expected to be in use by January. The cameras are intended to record evidence for animal abuse investigations and complaints against officers.

Fourteen bottles and a restroom floor

The break-in happened early on 29 November, according to WWBT. The raccoon came through the ceiling of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control store and damaged the security system, triggering an alert from the monitoring company. The raccoon broke 14 bottles. By the time officers arrived, it was lying unconscious in the bathroom. An animal control officer took the “very intoxicated raccoon” to a shelter to recover. The raccoon spent several hours sobering up before being safely released back into the wild. The surveillance footage, which was later released, showed the raccoon moving through the Ashland, Virginia, ABC store after the break-in, including swaying among broken bottles and spilled alcohol.Soon, photos of the culprit’s drunken mishap were posted on the internet, and users did what they do best. They liked, shared and commented on the raccoon’s drunken escapade, and the story went viral. The incident even inspired a Saturday Night Live sketch. The Hanover County Animal Protection and Shelter realised that the viral raccoon could help them, and it did!Meanwhile, you can also purchase the “Trashed Panda” merchandise. The collection includes everything from T-shirts and sweatshirts to hats, mugs and stickers, with seasonal designs featuring slogans such as “Hot Trash Summer” and “Trick or Trashed”.