Raccoon scales St. Paul office tower, captivating public

Associated Press | Argus Leader

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A raccoon stranded on the ledge of a building in St. Paul, Minnesota, captivated onlookers and generated interest on social media after it started scaling an office building.

Onlookers and reporters tracked the critter’s progress at it climbed the UBS Tower on Tuesday, interrupting work and causing anxiety for some. By Tuesday afternoon, it had stopped on a ledge more than 20 stories high.

Minnesota Public Radio branded the raccoon with the hashtag #mprraccoon. The woodland creature also had its own Twitter account, with one tweet saying, “I made a big mistake.” Many feared for the raccoon’s safety.

The raccoon was first spotted on a ledge Tuesday morning, just a few stories high. St. Paul Animal Control believed it may have been there all night before it started heading skyward.