A one raccoon crime wave
From booze to black belts: Virginia's drunk raccoon suspected in karate shop break-in
A raccoon that broke into a Virginia store and joyfully drank its way through the liquor aisle is now suspected of a wider crime spree, officials say.
A Hanover animal control officer suspects the stripe-tailed mammal also broke into a nearby karate studio and then raided the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) for snacks.
"Supposedly, this is the third break-in he's had," said Officer Samantha Martin.
The raccoon, now nicknamed the "trashed panda", was first discovered passed out in the bathroom of the Ashland liquor store two days after Thanksgiving. After sobering up, the unlikely outlaw was released back into the wild.
A new study found the masked mammals known for rummaging rubbish bins for easy food, are evolving and getting comfortable around humans.
Ms Martin says it's only a matter of time before the masked bandit strikes the shopping centre again.
"This is not the first time he's been in one of the buildings," she told the county government's official podcast, Hear in Hanover, on Thursday.
"He was in the karate studio. I think he got into the DMV [and] ate some of their snacks one time," she said.
She later added that there is a chance the earlier break-ins could have been perpetrated by a different raccoon - but officials have identified him as their prime suspect.
Raccoons are known for breaking into peoples garbage cans, leading to the nickname "trash panda".
The county has been selling shirts with the logo "trashed panda" and has raised a whopping $207,000 (£155,000) as of Friday. The money will be used to renovate the shelter, and add to its capacity, Ms Martin said.
Officials say the little Kung Fu trash panda was living his best life when he was detained in the liquor store and kept his spirits up even after being placed in the county kennel.
"I just set him in there, [and] let him kinda relax for a few hours. The sun was beating on him so he was feeling good," Ms Martin said, adding that he was released about one mile away from the shopping complex. "He didn't do anything wrong. He was just having a good time."
The story has gone viral, which Ms Martin says is because it is so "relatable".
"Everybody's been there," she says. "Everybody's had a few extra and passed out by the toilet, and hopes somebody can come get you the next morning."
"I hope he learned his lesson," she said, before adding that there's a good chance he might be found committing another heist soon.
"He'll be back. He's not a dummy."
Comments
This raccoon, called trashed panda, is a champion and no dummy. He broke-in store to drank liquor and to eat snacks. He has shoplifting. It´s obvious that he prefers human customes instead of rummaging rubbish bins. It´s very hard look for food in people garbage cans everyday. It´s another level. His behaviour is like a lord. He used the toilet. He was just having a good time. Officials detained this little Kung Fu and he kept his spirits up even after being placed in the county kennel. It´s a sheer sir.
His story has gone viral and they think that he won´t come back another time, but they are wrong, because he will come back. They don´t know the animals. I know it. I hope that they don´t mistreat him next time and they take him to the county kennel. The raccoon is a savage animal whitch has not been domesticated, for this reason nobody can take his home. (I have looked it on internet because he´s an unknown animal for me). He isn´t like a dog or a cat.
See you.
I can identify with the raccoon - the sight of him passed out next to the loo brings back memories for me.
This raccoon, called the “trashed panda,” is a champion and no dummy. He broke into a store to drink liquor and eat snacks. He was shoplifting. It is obvious that he prefers human customs instead of rummaging through rubbish bins. It is very hard to look for food in people’s garbage cans every day. This is a whole other level. His behaviour is like that of a lord. He even used the toilet. He was just having a good time.
Officials detained this little Kung Fu master, and he kept his spirits up even after being placed in the county kennel. He is a real sir.
His story has gone viral, and they think that he won’t come back another time, but they are wrong, because he will come back. They don’t understand animals. I do. I hope that they don’t mistreat him next time and that they take him to the county kennel again. The raccoon is a wild animal that has not been domesticated; for this reason, nobody can take him home (I looked it up on the internet because he was an unknown animal to me). He isn’t like a dog or a cat.
I think it'd be a good idea if you use AI to translate the text into Spanish and pay attention to the differences. You can also use AI to listen to the text.