Squirrel Gets Delightfully Drunk When Woman Puts Out Pears That Had Fermented

If you live in a place with urban wildlife, you know how polarizing those animals can be. On one hand, it's freaking adorable to see a raccoon curled up and snoozing on my skylight; on the other hand, that trash panda's first stop after dark will likely be my trashcans.

Personally, raccoons and skunks are categorized under "Adorable From Afar."

Squirrels are (usually) welcome, though my dogs have a differing opinion.

I prefer not to encourage them to linger, so I don't specifically put out food. However the fruit trees in my yard bring them in droves each year.

Which is how I could have warned Katy Morlok that giving her backyard squirrel dubbed Lil Red some old pears would result in a hilarious mistake.

Lil Red got a lil' drunk.

Katy told The Dodo that they usually leave out nuts and corn for Lil Red, but during a kitchen clean-up, she found a few pears that had been forgotten about.

First she tried giving them to her family's pig, but they weren't interested. Lil Red was intrigued, though, so she left them on his table.

That's how she learned that old fruit ferments as it rots and it doesn't take much to get a tiny animal tipsy.

Realizing her mistake and worried that he'd be easy, swaying prey for predators, Katy disposed of the rest of the pears and replaced them with something less boozy.

Then she took plenty of videos of the little guy looking wide-eyed and more than a little off-balance.

Because it's hilarious.

Thankfully, Lil Red suffered no lasting effects and was back the next day looking a bit haggard, but otherwise no worse for wear.

"I think it is about as 2020 as it gets!" Katy said. "Even the squirrels need a break from this reality."

h/t: The Dodo

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