A French law enforcement agency is warning drivers to watch out for drunks on the road.
They are not referring to humans.
It is inebriation season for wild animals, according to the agency, the Gendarmerie de Saône-et-Loire, which is based in a rural region in central-eastern France. “In the spring, some wild animals consume buds, fermented fruits, or decaying vegetation — and may exhibit completely unpredictable behavior,” the agency wrote last week on social media.
The police force noted that tipsy animals can quickly cause collisions if humans are not vigilant. To prove this point, the authorities in the picturesque Burgundy region, known for its berries and wines, posted a video of what appeared to be a very drunk deer that has captured international attention.
In the video, the deer spins in tight circles, dizzyingly, around and around. Soon, it tumbles onto its back, flips over and staggers back up, standing again on wobbling legs, and staring ahead, unaware — or not caring — that it is being filmed.
Then it runs off into another field, where it repeats the routine.
“If Bambi has had a bit too much of that forest aperitif, now might not be the best time to drive as if you own the road,” the agency’s post said. It warned drivers to slow down, be aware of their surroundings and “avoid sudden steering maneuvers.”
It was not immediately clear how many car accidents have been linked to such animals in France, and the Gendarmerie de Saône-et-Loire did not respond to a request for comment.
A variety of animals have shown a predilection for alcohol, though scientists have debated whether it is anecdotal, hard evidence or humans seeing themselves in nature.
Researchers have seen chimpanzees in West Africa stealing palm wine, tree shrews in Malaysia sipping nectar and waxwings that died from alcohol poisoning, seemingly from too much fermented fruit. In anecdotal cases, people have found moose and elk eating rotten apples, stuck in trees and tangled in Christmas lights.
Some researchers have questioned whether animals, especially large ones like elephants and elk, can actually become drunk, given their size and the limited alcohol in the environment. But a 2020 study found that elephants and many other mammals lack a key enzyme that quickly metabolizes ethanol, helping keep stories of drunk and unruly elephants alive.
In 2025, another study posited that most animals that consume fruit and nectar also consume ethanol, though it is not clear if they do this for a buzz or some other reason.
Many French people also wanted to share their own anecdotes in recent days, claiming in comments below the deer video that they had experienced the phenomenon.
“It’s very common at this time of year; you just have to let it happen,” said one commenter, noting with amusement that “Bambi is absolutely wrecking the young corn” in the video.
“Roe deer absolutely love the buds of the alder buckthorn (shrubs typically found in hedgerows) and here is the result,” wrote another person. “They end up ‘drunk,’ ‘wasted,’ and so on.”
Another commenter said that while she did not live in the area, the guidance was “applicable everywhere in France.”
However, some observers were not amused, worrying about the fate of the erratic deer and suspecting that humans may be to blame, for instance, through fertilizers or pesticides.
As for what happened to the deer in the video, neither the French police nor the commentators could definitively say.
Ephrat Livni is a Times reporter covering breaking news around the world. She is based in Washington.
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