A Bit of Advice: Never Get a 5-ton Elephant Drunk

Over the past few weeks Russia has been having its coldest weather in 50 years, with temperatures in Moscow “…hovering between 4 and 29 degrees below zero F.” While some have experimented with a variety of new ways to stay warm…

…many Russians are resorting to a more traditional ritual to stay warm: drinking a few shots of vodka. Sales of alcoholic beverages soared by 30 percent over the past week, according to the Moscow-based National Alcohol Association. And in the town of Yaroslavl, about 180 miles north of Moscow, an elephant went berserk and ripped his cage apart after zookeepers fed it a bucket of vodka in an attempt to help it feel warmer.