Once upon a time there was a bear Toptygin. In the days of distant youth, as a little bear cub, he willingly accepted refreshments in the form of a stack of vodka, which people poured for him just for the sake of laughter. Time passed, and Toptygin, already an adult seasoned bear accustomed to the intoxicated so that without a glass he would throw himself at the grate and growl. To cure the bear, I had to gradually transfer it to lighter drinks.
Do you remember Mark Twain’s famous children's book, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer? Tom poured his cat "medicine", after the reception of which the cat staged a pogrom, famously flying out the window with flowers that survived by some miracle. It is easy to guess that there was a colossal dose of alcohol in the “painkiller”.
Be that as it may, in this case the animal was "treated" against its will, but there are many cases when our smaller brothers, addicted to alcohol, do not miss the opportunity to "take to the chest." So, one cute cat tasted the taste of wine and beer. After that, he did not miss a single feast, and loudly, hoarsely, screamed out the owner for a glass or two. Drunk, the cat calmed down and fell into some corner, falling asleep peacefully. It is clear that the animal has become a real alcoholic and can’t imagine life without a drink.
However, as you know, not only cats like to drink. The mice also do not refuse. Pedro Garzolas, who owns a wine shop in the city of Madrid, had no idea what to do with it. Mice really liked his wine cellar, and they did not leave it day or night. The owner, without hesitation, solved this problem. Not! He didn’t let cats in, didn’t set mousetraps, he decided to use what was at hand - wine. In the basement, a cunning Spaniard placed plates of sherry. Plates led ladders to the plates, so that it was convenient to get to the treats. The feast lasted until the morning. The mice got drunk so that with the "unexpected" appearance, Pedro could not even escape.
From the observations of entomologists, it became known that many insects on occasion do not mind drinking. Overgrowing berries and fruits or fermented plant juice can become a source of alcohol in nature. Sometimes such fun can be seen at the trunk of a birch tree, where fermented birch sap pours quietly from the damaged bark. In such places it is usually very damp, it smells strongly of alcohol, and butterflies, ants and other insects crowd around. Having tasted the night butterflies, they sleep right there, as on the threshold of a wine tavern. Here you can see the "peacock eye", "cabbage eye". They are busy trying juice and getting drunk. Among the small birds pecking drunken butterflies, cheerful animation also reigns.
Known flies and cockroaches are not indifferent to wine.. After libations, the flies lose coordination and cannot take off, and cockroaches barely move even under pain of death. Reindeer beetles really appreciate oak juice, but the “fool” lose their idea of elementary politeness, fight, pushing even beautiful females. Even the hard worker ant will not refuse to drink, but we can’t even talk about bees and wasps.
Overripe berries and fruits have a heady effect. Cloudberries are well-known to everyone - bright red, reminiscent of large raspberries, but overripe, becomes orange and watery, its smell resembles wine. Two handfuls of this berry cause dizziness and disrupt the coordination of movements, as after a good feast.
Birds will never end up drinking too, and sometimes immediately bite. The writer Peskov once, standing at the liquor store, observed the following picture: sparrows were thrown pieces of bread, sprinkled with vodka or wine. Birds pounced on them, forgetting all caution, immediately there were "drunk" fights. Starlings are not against drinking too. One starling, living with an ornithologist, was accustomed to vodka, which was served to him in an ordinary cork. After libations, the bird wandered around the cage with braided legs and tried to hum something, making heartbreaking sounds.
Cases of drunkenness are also known among poultry.. In the Kuban, women often made tinctures on cherries. After its preparation, the used berry was thrown out to turkeys and geese. Having found a bird lying insensibly in the yard, the mistress considered the bird to be fallen, and so that the feather would not disappear, plucked and threw it away. Imagine her surprise when a naked bird, sobering up, returned to the yard.
Hoppies were often used by horse thieves. When selling an old gelding or mare, before the fair they treated the animal with vodka, after which the nag became frisky and vigorous. When the mare sobered, she quickly lost her playfulness and became an old and slow horse again.
In the jungles of South Africa, all animals begin the feast when the merula matures. These fruits are similar to melon, have an indescribable aroma, and also contain a lot of sugar. When a merula matures and begins to wander, it has an intoxicating effect. This feature did not go unnoticed. elephants, monkeys, birds and other inhabitants. In a particularly fruitful year, for several weeks the jungle indulges in unbridled drunkenness, forgetting about hunting and dangers.
