TTC subway service was briefly stopped in downtown Toronto Friday morning after a pesky raccoon made its way onto a station platform and walked onto a subway.
Brad Ross, a spokesperson for the TTC, said the incident happened at around 9:30 a.m. He said the operator of a train travelling southbound into Bloor station saw a raccoon walking along the side of the subway tracks. Ross said the operator notified transit control and was told to move the train slowly into the station.
READ MORE: Raccoon hitches ride on Toronto subway, commuters take it in stride
By the time the train opened its doors, Ross said the raccoon was able to get to the platform from the tracks.
“Somebody hit the emergency alarm, the train held and we had special constables and station staff at Bloor.”
WATCH: Commuters riding the TTC’s Yonge-University-Spadina line delayed due to raccoon. Catherine McDonald reports.
Ross said staff used a pole with a noose to capture the animal and took the raccoon to a back room where it was placed in a garbage can until City of Toronto animal services staff could respond. He said the animal likely entered the station through a tunnel opening near Rosedale Valley Road.
However, the raccoon had to be “humanely euthanized” because of a “significant injury.”
“We are unsure as to whether the raccoon was injured prior to entering the subway station, or it sustained them while on the platform,” a Toronto Animal Services spokesperson told Global News Friday afternoon in an email statement.
Dimitry Galamiyev told Global News he was on his way downtown and saw the raccoon after exiting the train. He tweeted a picture of the raccoon being held by TTC staff, which was shared over 100 times.
READ MORE: Dead raccoon memorialized in downtown Toronto
Galamiyev, like many Toronto residents on social media Friday, shared his admiration for the furry animal.
“I like their character. I think the raccoon is kind of like the unofficial animal of Toronto,” he said.
“We all have that unconditional love of them, whether we acknowledge it or not.”
With files from Catherine McDonald