Had to read the headline three times before it landed—French police are warning drivers to watch out for drunk deer.
Not diseased deer. Not injured deer. Drunk deer.
Apparently, spring in France’s Burgundy region brings an annual wave of intoxicated wildlife stumbling onto roadways after bingeing on fermented fruit and rotting vegetation. The Gendarmerie de Saône-et-Loire posted a video last week showing a deer running in frantic circles, flopping onto the ground, then staggering back to its feet before wandering into a field. The caption: “Not all road users are sober.”
The deer had been snacking on nature’s dive bar menu—fermented buds, decomposing plants, rotting apples—and was now careening unpredictably across roads like it was closing time at a rural tavern.
Spring Brings Out the Worst in Wildlife
According to the Gendarmerie, spring marks the beginning of what they’re calling “inebriation season” for wild animals. Deer, along with other creatures, consume buds, fermented fruits, and decomposing plants that pack enough ethanol to turn a woodland stroll into a stumbling disaster. The result: “sudden dangerous crossings onto roadways, unpredictable movements, immobilization on roads, and disorganized fleeing.”
Translation—if Bambi’s had a few too many, you’re not going to predict where he’s headed next.
The viral video shows the deer rolling on the ground like it’s trying to shake off a bad decision, then lurching upright and wobbling toward the nearest field. The Gendarmerie’s caption didn’t mince words: “If Bambi is having a little too much of the forest’s offerings, maybe it’s not the time to drive as if the road were all yours.”
Turns out, drunk animals aren’t just a French phenomenon. A 2025 study published in Trends in Ecology and Evolution found that ethanol is present in wild fruits, saps, and nectars—and that alcohol consumption has shaped the evolution of multiple species. Wasps get drunk on fermented fruit. Beetles consume beer. Elephants and baboons in Botswana supposedly binge on marula fruit, though some researchers question whether large mammals can actually get intoxicated given their size and the limited alcohol available in their natural habitats.
A 2020 study found that elephants lack a key enzyme needed to break down ethanol, complicating the “drunk elephant” narrative. But smaller animals—deer, raccoons, birds—don’t have that problem. In 2023, a Virginia liquor store worker found a raccoon passed out in the bathroom after it fell through the ceiling, drank itself into oblivion, and knocked bottles off the shelves before collapsing in a toilet stall.
Flying accidents have been reported in birds that ate fermented berries. A moose in Sweden was once found stuck in a tree, reportedly drunk on fermented apples—though ethanol was never confirmed. Wild green monkeys in the Caribbean steal alcoholic fruit cocktails from tourists on St. Kitts.
The Danger Isn’t Just the Deer
French officials aren’t issuing this warning for entertainment value. Drunk animals are unpredictable, and unpredictable animals on roadways are a collision waiting to happen. The Gendarmerie’s post emphasized vigilance—drivers need to watch for erratic movements, sudden crossings, and animals that might freeze in the middle of the road instead of bolting to safety.
The video has since gone viral, racking up thousands of views and comments ranging from amused to alarmed. Some commenters speculated the deer might have chronic wasting disease, a neurological condition that affects motor skills. Others joked that the deer was just having a rough morning.
What This Means for Drivers
If you’re driving through rural France this spring—or anywhere with wild animals and fermenting vegetation—slow down. Watch the tree line. Assume that any animal you see might be three drinks deep and operating on instinct alone.
The Gendarmerie’s advice is straightforward: don’t assume the road is yours. Because somewhere out there, a deer is stumbling through the underbrush, full of rotting apples and bad ideas, and it’s headed straight for the asphalt.