Recently, there have been several reports of moose that apparently became drunk after eating too many fermented crabapples in Alaska and piles of fermenting apples in Sweden. Birds weigh only a few ounces, so it shouldn't take much ethanol to make them drunk.
"Moose are attracted by the apple trees, and in the autumn when the apples have fallen off the trees we normally have at least one of these cases of intoxication. These apples, which ferment in their bellies, aren't part of their natural food, so they can get quite angry from this drunkenness," Gardhagen said.
Image credits Bernard Spragg. NZ / Flickr. Reindeer that partake of the mushrooms have been documented to act almost as if drunk, running around aimlessly, making strange noises, and twitching their heads.
Animals can and do get drunk. There's plenty of research where the actual blood alcohol levels are measured and behavior observed to see the effects of alcohol on various species. The smaller the animal (and specifically, the liver), the more likely they are to get impaired when eating fermented fruit.
If you enjoy hard cider, we suggest you stick to buying your favorite brand at your local convenience store, but it turns out moose's enjoy eating rotten, fermented apples. In 2011, a moose in Saro, Sweden found himself tangled in a tree after reportedly getting "intoxicated" from eating rotten apples off the ground.
The pen-tailed treeshrew of Malaysia gets credit for having the world's highest alcohol tolerance. Seven species of animals, including the treeshrew and the slow loris, feed on fermented nectar from the flower buds of the bertam palm plant.
It turns out that both flies and mammals can get drunk on alcohol. So, for their study, Scott Hansen, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Molecular Medicine, and his team, enabled fruit flies to become inebriated to track ethanol's path.
A feral pig ransacked an Australian campsite and got drunk after downing three six-packs of beer before running amok and putting on a show for campers.
That's right—fish get drunk, too! Working with Zebrafish—a common fish used in lab studies—researchers at NYU exposed fish to various environments of EtOH, technical-speak for alcohol.
Birds, it seems, sometimes indulge to the point of intoxication. Fruit-eating birds like waxwings can get drunk, so to speak, when they eat fermented fruit, according to the National Audubon Society(Opens in a new window). And it turns out a drunk bird acts a lot like you might expect.
Honey bees, like humans, can also get drunk! By sucking on fermented limes, bees can experience a very similar "buzz" from alcohol as we humans do. Their motor functioning is completely thrown off and it impairs their memory processing.
Many animals love a tipple. Two examples are parrots and elephants. Some Australian parrots have discovered that sugar spilled from cane trucks and wet by dew overnight can rapidly ferment in the Sun, providing free booze.
Alcohol is not safe for your cat. Cats can not only get drunk, but it can also easily cause severe liver and brain damage. As little as a tablespoon of any form of alcohol can put an adult cat in a coma; more than that can kill them.
Dogs can get drunk when they drink excessive alcohol. The smaller the dog, the smaller amount of alcohol is needed to get him drunk. A drunk dog will exhibit behavioral changes. Just like humans, they will have problems walking or standing up due to loss of balance and lack of coordination.
Yes, a cow can get drunk if it consumes too much sugar. When a cow eats sugar, it is broken down into glucose and fructose. These sugars are then absorbed into the bloodstream and go to the liver. The liver breaks down the sugars and produces alcohol.
It's not possible for a hamster to achieve lethal blood ethanol content from drinking alcohol. Their livers break it down so quickly that their blood never gets enough alcohol in it to become fatal."
But it's still unlikely; even a 75-pound bear would have to suck down hundreds of apples at their peak level of fermentation to even feel a buzz. Go further, though, and you might have something. Birds, especially the bohemian waxwing, have been reported to become drunk from fermented berries.
Now, a team led by Kimberley Hockings, a primatologist at the Center for Research in Anthropology in Lisbon, concludes from a 17-year study of chimps in West Africa that primates can tolerate significant levels of ethanol and may actually crave it, as humans do.
Pig milk is generally considered unappealing for human consumption. Compared to more conventional animals such as dairy cattle or goats, a main issue is their omnivorous diet. Also, the flavor of pig milk has been described as "gamy", more so than goat's milk. The milk is also considered more watery than cow's milk.
You're experiencing a rapid heartbeat, flush cheeks, and a sweaty brow. All are symptoms of overindulgence, but not of the alcoholic kind. Rather than an elevated BAC, the cause might be a high that even a teetotaler can get. You're getting meat drunk. ...
Getting plants 'drunk' insulates them against drought, according to new research. They thrived when soil was soaked in alcohol - even after two weeks without water, scientists say. The colorless liquid has the opposite effect on humans - making us woozy after a few beers, wines or whiskies.
In labs, honeybees fly upside-down after alcohol exposure, and inebriated fruit flies have trouble staying upright and fare poorly on learning tests. This suggests that mosquitoes can get tipsy.
Fermenting Apples May Cause Ethanol Poisoning in Pets, Horses & Cattle. Moose, elk, bears… a quick Google uncovers many stories of wild animals accidentally 'drunk' on fermented apples. We chuckle, feel sorry for them, and move on.