Police in Gilbert, Minnesota, have been forced to issue a statement about drunks roaming the town and “getting more tipsy than normal”, telling the public that they needn’t contact law enforcement.
It’s not humans getting sloshed though – these booze fiends are all birds.
The feathered creatures, the police explain, have been getting drunk by eating “certain berries that have fermented earlier than usual due to frost” and as many birds haven’t gone south yet, “it appears to be more prevalent than in past years”.
As a result, they’ve received several reports of birds that seem to be “under the influence, flying into windows, cars and acting confused”.
“Generally, younger birds’ livers cannot handle the toxins as efficiently as more mature birds,” the police department said. “There is no need to call law enforcement about these birds as they should sober up within a short period of time.”
The Facebook post containing the statement has hundreds of comments from residents who have spotted the birds getting into trouble, with one writing: “That explains all the birds bouncing off my window lately. Luckily only one has passed on.”
“I have a couple dead birds in my front yard because of them hitting my window,” another added. “Also had one stuck in the front of my car.”
Making it clear they can see the funny side, the statement ends with a call for residents to contact law enforcement if they see “the roadrunner jumping in and out of traffic on main street or “Tweety acting as if he’s 10ft tall and getting into confrontations with cats”.
This is not the first time this has happened and here in the UK, the RSPB previously had to issue a statement about seagulls getting “drunk” by ingesting too much formic acid while eating flying ants.