A raccoon that broke into a Virginia liquor store last year, sampled 14 bottles of alcohol and passed out in the bathroom has helped raise more than $290,000 for a local animal shelter through merchandise inspired by its drunken escapade.
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that → break → escapade
Nearly a year after the drunken escapade went viral, the Hanover County Animal Protection and Shelter has raised thousands of dollars by selling merchandise inspired by the raccoon’s antics, The Washington Post reported.
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Post → go → antics
How a drunk raccoon became an unlikely face of a fundraiser
What are the odds of a raccoon that wrecked an Ashland, Virginia, liquor store last November becoming the face of a fundraiser for the Hanover County shelter?
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that → become → shelter
The unlikely mascot has helped the shelter raise more than $290,000 through merchandise featuring its likeness and the slogan "Trashed Panda".
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shelter → help → likeness
It is the same shelter that took in the raccoon after it was found passed out in the store.
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it → take → store
“We never thought a raccoon would do this for us,” Jeffrey Parker, Hanover County’s chief of animal protection, told the outlet.
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Parker → think → outlet
The county did not come up with the merchandise idea on its own.
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county → come → own
Bonfire, a fundraising merchandise platform, reached out to the shelter after the story went viral.
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story → reach → shelter
Animal protection officer Samantha Martin told the public-access Hear in Hanover podcast that the offer was simple: the company would make shirts and hand over the proceeds.
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company → tell → proceeds
“We didn’t think it was going to get this much money,” she said.
The campaign’s goal was 19,500 items, and it has already sold 19,234.
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it → think → 19,234
The campaign has raised $292,826.
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campaign → raise → 292,826
Bonfire’s catalogue now includes mugs, tumblers, stickers, shirts and hoodies bearing the nickname “Trashed Panda”.
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catalogue → include → nickname
Ms Martin added that the shelter was desperately in need of funds, as it is “extremely old and the county is growing like wildfire”.
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county → add → wildfire
The shelter can’t keep up.
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shelter → keep → ?
It needs more kennel space, a bigger well and a bigger shelter to accommodate the county’s growing population.
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It → need → population
Money from the sales is already being directed towards those needs.
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Money → direct → needs
Hanover County officials approved body cameras for the department’s eight animal protection officers, and the devices are expected to be in use by January.
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devices → approve → January
The cameras are intended to record evidence for animal abuse investigations and complaints against officers.
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cameras → intend → officers
The break-in happened early on 29 November, according to WWBT.
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in → happen → WWBT
The raccoon came through the ceiling of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control store and damaged the security system, triggering an alert from the monitoring company.
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raccoon → come → company
The raccoon broke 14 bottles.
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raccoon → break → bottles
By the time officers arrived, it was lying unconscious in the bathroom.
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it → arrive → bathroom
An animal control officer took the “very intoxicated raccoon” to a shelter to recover.
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officer → take → shelter
The raccoon spent several hours sobering up before being safely released back into the wild.
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raccoon → spend → wild
The surveillance footage, which was later released, showed the raccoon moving through the Ashland, Virginia, ABC store after the break-in, including swaying among broken bottles and spilled alcohol.
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raccoon → release → bottles
Soon, photos of the culprit’s drunken mishap were posted on the internet, and users did what they do best.
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they → post → what
They liked, shared and commented on the raccoon’s drunken escapade, and the story went viral.
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story → like → escapade
The incident even inspired a
Saturday Night Live sketch.
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incident → inspire → sketch
The Hanover County Animal Protection and Shelter realised that the viral raccoon could help them, and it did!
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it → realise → them
Meanwhile, you can also purchase the “Trashed Panda” merchandise.
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you → purchase → merchandise
The collection includes everything from T-shirts and sweatshirts to hats, mugs and stickers, with seasonal designs featuring slogans such as “Hot Trash Summer” and “Trick or Trashed”.
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collection → include → Summer
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