VIDEO: Minnesota Squirrel Gets Drunk After Eating Fermented Fruit

A squirrel in Minnesota is gaining national attention Wednesday from a video that has gone viral. The squirrel became intoxicated from eating a fermented pear.

Katy Morlok of Inner Grove Heights, Minnesota, threw a pear in her garden after it had been sitting in her refrigerator for a long time, Minneapolis Fox-affiliate KMSP reported. Morlok never thought the pear presented any kind of danger until the squirrel she named “Lil Red” started acting funny after eating it.

After an hour it seemed that the squirrel was affected by the fruit and that's when Morlok realized the pear may have been contaminated.

“And then it kind of dawned on me…oh no, those pears were so old I bet they fermented,” Morlok said. “And then he got drunk and I did not mean to do that so I went out and I grabbed all the pears."

Morlok recorded the incident. The video later went viral on social media.

In the video, “Lil Red” can be seen eating the pear while drunkenly swaying back and forth. At one point, the intoxicated squirrel almost fell off the eating ledge before quickly recovering.

The squirrel had seemed to be enjoying the pear so much that Morlok provided more. However, once Morlok realized the pears were fermented, she rescinded the treat.

“Lil Red” seemed to recover after a meal. “In the morning, he came back for his little hangover breakfast and he’s been fine ever since,” Morlok said.