A death-defying Minnesota raccoon managed to scale a building over 20 storeys tall in downtown St. Paul, Minn., on Tuesday, in a two-day feat that captivated onlookers and the internet.
The misadventure began Monday when the critter appeared to be stranded on a ledge of the Town Square building in the city’s downtown core.
According to Minnesota Public Radio, which dubbed the raccoon #MPRRaccoon, the animal escaped to the roof of the two-storey building after spending much of Monday tucked away on the ledge.
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Building maintenance workers tried help the masked animal by rigging up a 20-foot piece of lumber with the hope the raccoon would climb down. Instead, the trash panda fled, and began to scale the concrete façade of the UBS Tower earlier Tuesday.
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Onlookers began to gather on the streets below as calls were placed to Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota and the city of St. Paul’s animal control to plead for help.
“I would be legitimately devastated if it fell,” a woman told Minnesota Public Radio as she watched the raccoon’s climb.
“If they rescue it would be a good news story and we all kind of need that,” another bystander said.
The animal became a bit of a star on social media as people began to cheer on the creature during its attempt to summit the building.
WATCH: Wildlife Management Services in Minnesota says the raccoon that scaled a downtown office building was eating pigeon eggs beforehand.
Photos show the animal plastered to the side of the building while many office workers shared photos from inside the UBS Tower, showing the animal’s progress.
By Tuesday night, the raccoon was still making its way up the building, where St. Paul Animal Control had placed cat food and a trap in hopes of enticing the animal to safety.
James Gunn, who directed Guardians of the Galaxy, a movie that featured a smartass character named Rocket Raccoon, said he will donate $1,000 to a charity for anyone who rescues the raccoon.
It wasn’t until about 3:30 a.m. Wednesday the raccoon had successfully reached the top of the building.