UPDATE: According to Brad Ross at the City of Toronto, a trap has been set for the raccoon inside the crane's operator cab. The Toronto Wildlife Centre reportedly advised that attempts to retrieve the animal would likely scare it, potentially causing it to fall or jump.
"Its best chance for survival is to wait and let it come down on its own," Ross said. "It will be well looked after when it finally gets bored of the view."
A saga that's about as "Toronto" as a tale can get hit social media this morning, when a raccoon was spotted climbing to the top of a downtown crane.
The first video of the little fellow was shared just after 8:30 am; according to the poster, the raccoon endeavoured on its climb at the intersection of Adelaide and Peter streets.
Over the course of the next 20 minutes, additional videos of the creature making its way up the crane were posted, until a capture of the animal at the top of the structure was finally shared just before 9 am.
"I so badly want the construction workers to halt literally everything and go on a rescue mission for this lil trash panda," the poster's follow-up tweet reads.
And, while yes, it's concerning to see the little one up so high in the sky, it can't be denied that the situation is quintessential Toronto. Construction cranes, trash pandas, and risky business, all rolled into one series of ridiculous videos and shared on the internet.
Those in the tweets' reply section couldn't help but note the hilarity:
While some were cracking up at the situation's goofiness, others have been pushing for updates on the raccoon's well-being. Toronto's non-emergency 311 account has been tagged in some tweets, as many are hopeful that help will be sent the animal's way.
Meanwhile, where the crane is concerned, it's been a rough couple of weeks for the sky-high structures in the city. Just last week, roads were closed because a crane collapsed at the intersection of River and Dundas streets. While less than a month earlier, multiple buildings in the downtown core were evacuated when a crane hit a building at Simcoe and Wellington.
Hopefully this little guy's journey ends better.
