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A prickly intruder caused absolute chaos when it broke into a bottle shop in Australia and raided the stock.
The thirsty echidna was caught on CCTV dropping in to the BWS store in Kyogle, New South Wales, and casually browsing the aisles.
After somehow managing to get through the front doors, it scuttled from the wine range and then checked out the fridge full of beer.
The animal began to knock down several bottles of alcohol, including vodka and liqueur, and left a trail of broken glass in its path for staff members to clean up the next day.
The mischievous animal is captured roaming the aislesFacebook/BWS
Perhaps it was the alcohol, or the new environment – but either way, the echidna ended up falling asleep and can be seen in the footage underneath a shelf of champagne, cozily curled up.
Workers at the store discovered it the following morning and immediately called animal welfare charity, WIRES.
Once they arrived, they described in a Facebook post seeing a “terrible mess” with “things knocked over and lots of broken bottles all over the floor.”
The rescuers’ “immediate thought” was that “the shop had been broken into and vandalised.”
Echidnas were described by the charity as “bulldozers of the bush” due to their incredible strength and ability to move heavy objects such as logs and rocks.
The animal rescue charity showed how the echidna was wedged below the shelving in the shop (left) and the animal after it was rescued (right)Facebook/Wires Northern Rivers
They described the rescue as “difficult” because it was “firmly wedged below the shelving and in no hurry to move.”
Luckily, one volunteer was able to dislodge the mischievous critter and found no injures after its alcohol antics.
After it was rescued, WIRES returned the echidna back to its natural habitatFacebook/Wires Northern Rivers
WIRES joked that the animal had “obviously not consumed too much champagne during the night” as it “moved away in a straight line.”
Hopefully this is a lesson learnt for the offending echidna.
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