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Beaver Attempts Holiday Shopping, Then Trashes Store Instead


 

Enjoying the great outdoors is a beloved American pastime. In fact, 40 million people went on a total of 515 million camping trips in 2010 alone. But when the weather turns cold, most of us like to appreciate the beauty of the season from the comfort of indoors. Our celebrations involve bringing the outdoors inside with the use of tannenbaums and yuletide decor. And many people opt to replace hiking with another type of cardio: holiday shopping. It would seem that the popularity of hard-to-beat holiday deals has spread to the animal kingdom, as one penny-pinching beaver recently decided to check out the Christmastime selection at a Maryland Dollar General.

The beaver, who presumably wanted to get a head-start on his decorating, wandered in to the Charlotte Hall store, where he was documented on camera. After wandering down a few aisles, he showed particular interest in the store’s artificial Christmas trees. While 52% of people say they make purchasing decisions partially due to packaging that shows a brand making a positive environmental impact, it seems that our beaver friends don’t appreciate our efforts to save trees. When the critter realized these were faux imposters — not real evergreens he could gnaw upon — things got a little out of hand.

In an act of protest, the beaver started knocking items off the shelves before trying to make a getaway. The local sheriff’s office stated that the “suspect attempted to flee the area,” but he was apprehended before he could do any further damage.

The mischievous creature was taken into custody by animal control. Officers were successfully able to put an end to his shopping spree and released him back into his natural habitat. A study found that 16% of unplanned purchases were the result of shoppers noticing displays. Perhaps such a display was what brought the beaver. Whatever the case, one hopes that he’s learned his lesson about proper shopping habits — or next year, we may have a horde of beavers to contend with on Black Friday.

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