Kyrgyz Taigan dogs chase a badger during a hunting festival near the village of Bokonbayevo, some 300 km (186 miles) east from the capital Bishkek, August 24, 2007. REUTERS/Vladimir Pirogov

BERLIN (Reuters) - A badger in Germany got so drunk on over-ripe cherries it staggered into the middle of a road and refused to budge, police said on Wednesday.

A motorist called police near the central town of Goslar to report a dead badger on a road -- only for officers to turn up and discover the animal alive and well, but drunk.

Police discovered the nocturnal beast had eaten cherries from a nearby tree which had turned to alcohol and given the badger diarrhoea.

Having failed to scare the animal away, officers eventually chased it from the road with a broom.