French police warn drivers of 'unpredictable' danger of drunken deer – National
French officials are warning drivers to watch out for drunks on the road – but there are types of people, it is animals that need to be aware of.
Spring marks the beginning of the inebriation season for wild animals, French officials with the Gendarmerie de Saône et Loire, the military branch in charge of law enforcement in rural areas, said on Facebook last week, adding that the use of decomposing substances can lead to mysterious movements.
“In the spring, some wild animals eat sprouts, fermented fruits or rotting vegetables … and can behave in a completely unexpected way,” said the translation of the French statement.
“Danger includes dangerous sudden crossings on roads, unexpected movements, inability to walk on roads, and running in the wrong direction,” it continued.
Police say moving animals can be a danger to drivers if they're not careful, and shared a video now circulating of a drunken deer in France's Burgundy region running around and rolling on the ground before getting back to its feet and galloping into a nearby field to catch a point.
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“If Bambi has too many forest offerings, maybe it's not time to drive like the road is all yours… right?” post continued.
According to an ecological study published in 2025 in Trends in Ecology and Evolution, alcoholism is common in nature.
The findings by University of Exeter experts suggest that ethanol is not only present in many wild fruits, saps and nectar but has played a role in shaping the evolution of many species and in organizing “cooperative relationships between organisms, including plants, yeast, bacteria, insects and mammals.”
Deer are not the only animals that appear drunk in the wild; Its use has been noted among wasps, according to the study, which cites anecdotal evidence that the insects get drunk on fermented fruit and that certain species of beetles eat beer.
Although rarely discussed in the academic literature, stories of animal intoxication abound, including large mammals, such as elephants and chimpanzees, apparently getting “drunk” on the marula fruit in Botswana, the study says.
It also notes the story of a deer found stuck in a tree in Sweden, which was reportedly intoxicated with fermented apples, although ethanol has never been confirmed in a mammal.
It is possible that they could drink alcohol given to them by humans, the study said.
“For example, wild green monkeys introduced to the Caribbean in the 1600s take alcoholic fruit cocktails to tourists in St. Kitts.”
Flight accidents have also been reported in birds that have eaten boiled berries.
Some researchers have questioned whether animals, especially elephants and other large species like elk, can get drunk, given their size and the limited amount of alcohol available in their natural habitats.
A 2020 study found that elephants, along with many other mammals, lack an important enzyme needed to break down ethanol. The study also noted that some animals regularly eat fruits with enough alcohol to make humans drunk, but have no intoxicating effect on other species.
Last year, an employee at a Virginia liquor store found a drunken raccoon lying on its stomach in the bathroom. It is said that the suspect fell from the roof, drank himself, took bottles from the shelves and then ran into the stall before passing out.
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