ST. PAUL, Minn. — A raccoon stranded on the ledge of a building in St. Paul, Minnesota, captivated onlookers and generated interest on social media after it started scaling an office building. CBS Minnesota reports a live trap has been set on the roof, with cat food to lure the raccoon.
Onlookers and reporters tracked the critter’s progress at it climbed the UBS Tower on Tuesday, interrupting work and causing anxiety for some. By Tuesday afternoon, it had stopped on a ledge more than 20 stories high.
Minnesota Public Radio branded the raccoon with the hashtag #mprraccoon, which became the top trend on Twitter. The woodland creature also had its own Twitter account, with one tweet saying, “I made a big mistake.” Many feared for the raccoon’s safety.
The raccoon was first spotted on a ledge Tuesday morning, just a few stories high. St. Paul Animal Control believed it may have been there all night before it started heading skyward.
Animal Humane Society humane agent Keith Stress told CBS Minnesota that rescuers typically try to give the animal enough time to get out of the situation themselves. Stress said animals rarely get into situations that they can’t get out of and if it gets to the point where intervention is the only chance for the animal, then a decision will be made about which agency will take the lead in the rescue effort.
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