Claim:
A video authentically shows a raccoon breaking into a liquor store, drinking alcohol and passing out on the bathroom floor.
Rating:
Context
While the story itself is true, the video was generated by artificial intelligence.
In early December 2025, a video supposedly showing legitimate footage of a raccoon breaking into a liquor store, drinking alcohol and then passing out on the bathroom floor circulated widely online.
The clip spread on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.
While the story itself is true, the above video was generated by artificial intelligence (AI).
“Yes, that is an AI generated video and is not our store or raccoon,” said Pat Kane, a spokesperson for Virginia Alcohol Beverage and Control Authority, which oversees the state-run liquor store in Ashland targeted by the real raccoon’s drunken ransacking.
As such, we have rated this video fake.
Kane said via email that the real raccoon entered the store on Nov. 28 after business hours and “impacted the security system,” resulting in a power outage alert from the security company. The next morning, the store manager found the intoxicated “Black Friday Bandit” passed out on the floor. It had damaged 14 bottles of spirits worth about $250, according to Kane.
Hanover County Animal Protection and Shelter in Virginia, the local government’s official animal control department, released real images of the raccoon post-rampage. (The county is even selling merchandise of the tipsy trash panda, proceeds of which will go to the county’s animal care and protection efforts.)
Reputable news broadcasters also reported on legitimate surveillance videos of the raccoon running amok, which were first published by ABC 8 News, a television station in Virginia. Snopes independently verified these videos via Kane, who sent us the clips through email.
Spotting the AI behind the video
As evidenced, the real surveillance videos are much grainier than the AI-generated video (as surveillance videos usually are).
There are several inconsistencies in the fake video that clearly indicated the use of artificial intelligence. Zooming showed that labels for the liquor bottles blurred into one another and wobbled as the video played, a telltale sign of an AI-generated video. The labels were also gibberish.
Furthermore, within the AI video, the background of the first clip in the (fake) daylight — before the AI video jumps to the raccoon in the dark — shows liquor bottle shelves, which mysteriously disappear to be replaced with an exit sign in the second clip.
Examples that indicate the video is AI-generated, including gibberish labels and an inconsistent background. (Facebook user Animal Life)
For more on AI-generated animals, see our collection here. A Snopes explainer on AI slop — including how to spot it — can be found here.
Sources
“53K Views · 352 Reactions | 10 on Your Side Obtained Surveillance Video of the Raccoon Who Went Viral for His Drunken Escapades at an Ashland ABC Store during Black Friday. The Hanover County Animal Protection & Shelter, Who Initially Took the Raccoon in after His Night Out, Announced There Will Be ‘Ashland Drunk Raccoon’ T-Shirts Inspired by the Animal Itself. ‘While This Raccoon Gave Us All a Much-Needed Laugh, Our Officers Handle Hundreds of Calls Each Year Involving Wildlife, Stray Animals, and Emergencies Requiring Specialized Training and Equipment,’ the Hanover County Animal Protection and Shelter Wrote in the Dec. 3 Social Post. ‘Your Support Helps Us Continue Providing Compassionate, Professional Service to Both Animals and Residents of Hanover County.’ Click the Link in Comments for More Information. | WAVY TV 10.” Facebook.com, 3 Dec. 2025, www.facebook.com/watch/?v=863671709944588. Accessed 5 Dec. 2025.
“Animal Protection and Shelter | Hanover County, VA.” Hanovercounty.gov, www.hanovercounty.gov/172/Animal-Protection-and-Shelter. Accessed 5 Dec. 2025.
Hanover County Animal Protection and Shelter. “🚨 Black Friday Break-in at Ashland ABC Store 🚨 Suspect Apprehended after Liquor-Fueled Rampage.” Facebook.com, 2 Dec. 2025, www.facebook.com/hcvaanimalprotection/posts/pfbid0STS7UmQXq9Q6ezhBk43XojptjegHmQDwRjcY8MRraiqrXd32TtT3TreNe5TV8G4el?rdid=AagRyu2DIWcHVhmH#. Accessed 5 Dec. 2025.
—. “🦝 Introducing the ‘Ashland Drunk Raccoon’ T-Shirts! Supporting Hanover County Animal Protection & Shelter.” Facebook.com, 3 Dec. 2025, www.facebook.com/hcvaanimalprotection/posts/pfbid022nZ2D3NdhnDcqjBYD7AcdgiCkK2zcT9a8m4tKnS13rc3bLXtpDQLqoAeJgXQeGEdl?rdid=dc4o8Ur47KBUsRKs#. Accessed 5 Dec. 2025.
Nadeau, Ryan. “VIDEO: Raccoon Drunkenly Waddles through Virginia ABC Store in Hanover.” WRIC ABC 8News, 3 Dec. 2025, www.wric.com/news/local-news/hanover-county/video-raccoon-virginia-abc-store/. Accessed 5 Dec. 2025.
“Virginia ABC.” Www.abc.virginia.gov, www.abc.virginia.gov/.
WUSA9. “Surveillance Footage: Trashed Raccoon Passes out inside Liquor Store.” YouTube, 3 Dec. 2025, www.youtube.com/watch?v=gomlBSm7S9U. Accessed 5 Dec. 2025.
