Nurse Saves Drunk Raccoon With CPR After He Falls Into Dumpster Filled With Fermented Peaches

A baby raccoon found himself in a life-or-death situation after crawling into a dumpster filled with fermented peaches.

Longtime nurse Misty Combs came to the animal’s rescue while at work at the Letcher County Health Department in Whitesburg, Kentucky.

She and her coworkers first noticed a panicked raccoon running in the parking lot. They heard noises coming from a nearby dumpster and went to investigate; they discovered two baby raccoons trapped inside. It was their mother frantically trying to get them out. The problem? Both the raccoons had gotten drunk and couldn’t climb out. It turns out the dumpster was filled with discarded fermented peaches from Kentucky Mist Moonshine, a distillery next door.

“I was like, ‘We have to get them out!’” Combs said. “It was the motherly instinct in me because I saw that momma and she was trying so hard to get her babies back, and she didn’t know what to do.”

Combs used a shovel to lift one baby raccoon to safety. But the second was floating face-down in moonshine-tainted water. Fearing the worst, she quickly pulled him out. Her coworkers thought the raccoon was dead because he wasn’t breathing. But Combs realized his lungs were filled with water and decided to give him CPR.

A coworker captured the incredible moment on video as Combs administered chest compressions to the tiny animal, unsure if it would even work since she had never done CPR on an animal before. But it did!

Combs later admitted she was wary of the raccoon as the animals carry rabies and she did not know if he would suddenly wake up and bite her.

Thankfully, Fish and Wildlife officers soon arrived to take the raccoon for veterinary care. The raccoon survived thanks to Combs quick thinking. Later, Combs was present to witness the little one’s heartwarming reunion with his family.

Combs told LEX 18, “I’ve had some pretty crazy days on the job, but nothing like this.”