A raccoon seemingly trapped on a highway overpass in Montreal was rescued Thursday night after spending close to 48 hours stuck on the ledge.
The little critter could be seen for nearly two days according to onlookers, perched along the cement pillar of the Metropolitan highway near Chemin Côte-de-Liesse.
“I called the SPCA. They sent me to 311, SQ, Ministère de la faune. I called about eight different agencies in all — trying to contact somebody to help get this raccoon down from where it is stuck and got nowhere,” Paul Easton said.
Easton is one of the people who first alerted officials of the animal’s misfortune.
“We received many phone calls,” Marie-Laurence Raymond spokesperson for the SPCA said.
Animal rescue crews from the SPCA sought help from the Quebec Transport Ministry to pause traffic in order to catch the animal.
Raymond said the SPCA had to wait for permission from the ministry since it was dealing with a provincial highway.
She said it is uncommon to see a wild animal along busy and loud overpass structures. It is still uncertain how the animal got there in the first place.
Easton says the trapped raccoon could be seen pacing up and down the short space for hours.
He said a number of passersby would toss food scraps to the stranded animal.
The SCPA says the animal is in good health and is currently being treated at one of its shelters.
“It is calm and eating well,” Raymond said, adding it will be sent to a rehabilitation refuge before being sent back out into the wild.
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