One viral “trashed panda” has turned out to be a cash cow for a Virginia animal shelter.
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panda → trash → shelter
The raccoon that raided an Ashland liquor store last December, sampled 14 bottles of booze, and passed out beside a toilet, has helped raise more than $290,000 for Hanover County Animal Protection and Shelter, Jeffrey Parker, the county’s chief of animal protection, told the Washington Post Thursday.
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Parker → raid → Post
The furry felon made global headlines after a store manager found the animal unconscious, face down next to the toilet.
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face → make → toilet
The raccoon recovered and was released into the wild about a mile away, but its boozy escapade inspired an “Saturday Night Live” skit and a lucrative merchandise line.
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escapade → recover → skit
“I couldn’t really believe it,” Parker said.
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Parker → believe → it
The Hanover County Animal Protection and Shelter teamed up with apparel company Bonfire to sell T-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, mugs and stickers featuring an illustration of the passed-out raccoon next to a bottle of booze.
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Protection → team → booze
The merchandise, emblazoned with the slogan “Trashed Panda,” quickly became a hit with customers.
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merchandise → emblazon → customers
The shelter even expanded the collection with seasonal designs, including a summer-themed shirt reading “Hot Trash Summer” and a Halloween version dubbed “Trick or Trashed.”
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shelter → expand → Summer
The sales have generated more than $290,000 over the past year, which surpasses the department’s less than $20,000 in annual donations.
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which → generate → donations
“We never thought a raccoon would do this for us,” Parker said told the Post.
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Parker → think → Post
The unexpected influx of cash has allowed the department to fund long-awaited equipment for its animal protection officers.
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department → allow → officers
Parker said one priority was purchasing body cameras for the department’s eight officers, who previously had to borrow cameras from the county sheriff’s office when needed.
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who → say → office
The cameras will help officers document evidence in animal abuse investigations and court proceedings, as well as resolve complaints against officers, Parker said.
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Parker → help → officers
Hanover County residents also voiced support for the initiative, with dozens backing the purchase.
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dozens → voice → purchase
County officials unanimously approved the body cameras at an October 28 meeting, and officers are expected to begin wearing them around January.
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officers → approve → January
“I don’t know when we’ve owed a debt of gratitude to any animal as much as we do to that raccoon,” board supervisor Faye Prichard said during the meeting, the Post reports.
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Post → know → meeting
Parker is now figuring out how to spend the nearly $140,000 the department has saved from the merchandise proceeds.
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department → figure → proceeds
He hopes to establish an emergency fund to cover medical treatment for injured animals officers encounter in the field.
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officers → hop → field
The raccoon’s infamous night on the tiles may have been fueled by its natural instincts.
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night → fuel → instincts
Raccoons are opportunistic feeders drawn to sweet smells, Sarah Bookbinder, co-founder of a raccoon rehabilitation center in Earlville, New York, told the Post.
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Bookbinder → draw → Post
Although little research exists on the long-term effects of alcohol on raccoons, Bookbinder said releasing the animals near where they were found is critical to their survival.
“They already have communities to which they belong, and areas where they know how to find food and where their dens are,” Bookbinder said.
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Bookbinder → exist → food
The Hanover County shelter has not received any reports of raccoon break-ins since the animal was released last November, Parker said.
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Parker → receive → ins
During its liquor store raid, the raccoon destroyed and likely tasted bottles of rum, moonshine, scotch, Canadian whisky, vodka, peanut butter whiskey and eggnog.
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raccoon → destroy → rum
“Hopefully he’s living a good life somewhere,” Parker said, “and is being sober.”
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Parker → live → life
Merchandise celebrating the first anniversary of the raccoon’s boozy break-in recently went on sale, featuring the slogan: “One Bad Night.
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Merchandise → celebrate → slogan
The Aporia
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