A Kentucky nurse sprang into action this week when a routine workday took a wild turn—thanks to a drunken raccoon trapped in a dumpster.
Misty Combs, a registered nurse at the Letcher County Health Department in Whitesburg, discovered the situation after hearing a commotion near the facility’s dumpster. The source of the noise turned out to be a distressed adult raccoon frantically trying to free two of her pups trapped inside the bin.
The dumpster, located beside the Kentucky Mist Moonshine distillery, had recently been filled with fermented peaches—an irresistible and intoxicating snack for curious wildlife.
One of the baby raccoons had already passed out in the alcohol-soaked mixture by the time Combs arrived. Acting quickly, she used a shovel to extract the first baby, who ran to its mother. But the second was unresponsive—face down in a pool of moonshine and peach juice.
“I just started doing CPR,” said Combs, who had never performed the life-saving technique on an animal before. “People around were saying it was dead. It was full of water—you could feel it.”
Video footage shows Combs performing chest compressions and slapping the raccoon’s back. Eventually, the animal began to breathe again.
Officials from Fish and Wildlife arrived shortly after to transport the drunken raccoon to a local veterinarian, where it was given fluids and monitored until sober. The animal, affectionately nicknamed “Otis Campbell” after the famously intoxicated character from The Andy Griffith Show, was later released back into the wild near the health department.
“It was a little scary. I was worried it might wake up and bite,” said Combs, noting concerns about rabies.
This isn’t the first time a drunken raccoon has caused a stir in the area, but the incident underscores the importance of keeping waste—especially fermented food—secure from local wildlife.
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