Update: Raccoon’s epic high-rise climb ends; critter is greeted with food, rest and eventual release

After being stranded overnight on a ledge of a downtown St. Paul office building, a raccoon made it to the roof and has been trapped, according to reports.

After a delicious meal of soft cat food, #mprraccoon has been caught and will be picked up by Wildlife Management. Goodbye friend! pic.twitter.com/twcBPpjOQk — UBS Plaza (@ubs_plaza) June 13, 2018

The little animal reached the rooftop overnight, where live traps baited with smelly cat food awaited it.

Here it is, #MPRRaccoon’s valiant climb to the top of the UBS Center in Downtown St. Paul, this morning. @KARE11 @MPRnews pic.twitter.com/ot1DPNeRF5 — D.P. (@DPet_KARE11News) June 13, 2018

The little raccoon’s story began Monday when several downtown Twitter users snapped photos of the animal stranded on a second-story ledge near the Seventh Street skyway and Cedar Street. Late Tuesday morning, maintenance employees of St. Paul’s Town Square building tried to tempt the raccoon down with a long pole, but the critter was having none of it.

Instead, it hopped over to the UBS Plaza next door, and began climbing. And climbing.

Amid hundreds of photos and retweets from fascinated and frightened pedestrians, the raccoon finally came to a stop on the ledge of a swanky 22nd-floor office — just one floor below the top. The windows there don’t open, according to office employees who asked not to be named.

Some talked, in worried tones, about nearby falcon nests atop both Wells Fargo Place and Bremer Tower.

My picture from the 13th floor around noon. Hope he makes it down OK! #mprraccoon pic.twitter.com/gfVWysn9iO — Ben (@Johnson88Ben) June 12, 2018

On the street below, an onlooker thought “Wally” would make a good name for the overly ambitious mammal, though Minnesota Public Radio employees — who work across the street — promptly dubbed it “#MPRraccoon.”

By 6:30 p.m., the hashtag was was Twitter’s No. 1 trending topic and was also popular on Instagram.

The raccoon’s ascent also drew the attention of national news outlets, including CBS News, BuzzFeed, the Washington Post, Fox News and the Los Angeles Times.

Laurie Brickley, spokeswoman for the city’s Department of Safety & Inspections, which oversees animal control, said they set a live trap with food in it at the top of the building. They fear anything more could endanger it.

“We feel that any other measures could frighten him and he could fall,” Brickley said. “We’re hoping that since he’s gotten this far that he’ll make it to the top.”

Brickley said an animal-control officer was unsure whether the raccoon would be physically able to come down on its own.

“This morning, we were talking about this. We didn’t see it and thought, ‘It went away — that’s great!’ ” Brickley added. “The next thing we know, he’s on the 22nd floor.”

He is on the ledge on our floor. He seems to be doing well. We’ve been told that the building has live traps on the roof and are trying to get him to go up there. We all just have to keep our fingers crossed.. #mprraccoon pic.twitter.com/HY1PkuFKz0 — Paige Donnelly law (@donnelly_law) June 12, 2018

The raccoon began climbing about 11 a.m.

As of 11 p.m., it had descended to a window ledge on the 17th floor, according to Minnesota Public Radio.

Nick Woltman contributed to this report.