Hanover's Viral Drunk Raccoon Is Now Paying for Animal Control Body Cameras

HANOVER COUNTY, Va., Nov. 6, 2026 — The raccoon that broke into a liquor store, got drunk and became a local celebrity is now bankrolling police gear. Sort of.

Hanover County supervisors approved a body-camera policy for Animal Protection officers last week, Axios Richmond reported. The five-year program is expected to cost about $65,000. Roughly $39,000 of that will come from donations tied to the county's viral "Trashed Panda" campaign, which had raised more than $257,000 for the animal shelter as of Tuesday.

The cameras are meant to document animal-cruelty investigations and help gather evidence for court, according to county materials summarized by Citizen Portal. Officers will generally have to turn them on before arriving at animal-related calls that involve the public. Routine footage is set to be deleted after 30 days, while evidence can be kept much longer.

Richmond, Henrico and Chesterfield already use body cameras for animal control. Hanover is catching up, and one supervisor made it clear who gets the credit.

"I don't know when we've owed a debt of gratitude to any animal as much as we do to that raccoon," Supervisor Faye Prichard said.