As many of us look to kick back this holiday with a favourite tipple or five, a selfless Minnesota squirrel has sent a timely reminder about the perils of overindulgence.
The canned critter was caught on film looking very much the worse for wear after snacking on fermented pears in a backyard in Inver Grove Heights.
The hysterical clip shows the rickety rodent stumbling and nearly falling over backwards before regaining his balance – all after tucking into the boozy fruit.
Animal lover Katy Morlok told Fox 9 she came across the old pears while cleaning out her refrigerator and decided to put them out in a bowl in her backyard for wildlife. She then watched the squirrel – a frequent visitor whom she nicknames ‘Lil Red’ – swipe a pear from the bowl before scampering up a tree.
“It kind of dawned on me: ‘Oh no, those pears were so old, I bet they fermented,’” Morlok, who shot the madcap footage, told the station.
The squirrel took his fill of the accidentally alcoholic fruit, later returning for seconds with a wasted, glazed look in his eyes.
Morlok said she was worried about the squirrel all night, but thankfully he seemed to have slept it off by the time he reappeared the following day.
In fact, she believes all Lil Red really needed to feel bright-eyed and bushy-tailed again was just some old-school hair of the dog.
“In the morning, he came back for his little hangover breakfast and he’s been fine ever since,” Morlok said.