Moments that embody the togetherness of the human spirit can come from anywhere. Oftentimes, they come from events that need a hero, where everyone can join in and help remedy whatever is troubling a city at the moment. On Tuesday, St. Paul, Minnesota, had a moment just like that — all thanks to a raccoon.
#MPRRaccoon, a raccoon that climbed 23 stories, is the internet adventure of the year
“All you need is love, and some hope, and a raccoon.”
Around noon, this raccoon decided to scale the UBS building . And we’re not talking about climbing just a few stories, only to get back down in a matter of minutes. This raccoon went all the way to the 23rd story. And it stayed there for the majority of the day. According to Tim Nelson of Minnesota Public Radio, the raccoon’s ascend actually ended a two-day journey where the raccoon was stuck in the Town Square. A crew tried to get it out and they were successful but the raccoon had started climbing up the UBS building, having not had much to eat.
It didn’t seem like it was in danger, however, as it eventually took a break from climbing the 25-story building to take a nap. That didn’t stop the citizens of St. Paul from trying to help this critter get down to safety.
As everyone above and below the UBS building waited on the raccoon’s next move, it became an internet sensation. Animal control reportedly placed bait and cat food on the roof to lure the raccoon to the top, but it didn’t get near the roof. After a few hours, there were already T-shirts, fan art, and even a Twitter account devoted to our adventurous buddy. And even as the day turned into night, people’s hopes never waned.
The sun set, but that was the only to change after a few hours of being on raccoon watch. The people and camera crews were still there, even though very little was happening. It seemed as though the raccoon was going to permanently live in the 23rd floor for a while. But then there was movement! The raccoon decided not to climb any higher and started going down, going from the 23rd to the 17th floor. Six floors was more progress than anything before.
Every moment of whichever live stream or channel you were watching at the time was agonizing — even when the raccoon was taking a nap. But when the raccoon moved, you almost wanted to scream at your computer or television hoping it would climb down. Luckily, it didn’t go up any higher but there were a few instances where it traveled from one window to another, but on the same level.
Then, in the wee hours of the morning the raccoon decided to ascend from its lot in life to a realm of champions.
The #MPRRaccoon became the ultimate underdog story. We’ve all felt lost and without hope at times, but the support and interest this raccoon got through this ordeal can make anyone optimistic about personal perseverance and the support you have from those around you.
During the Kare 11 Twitter broadcast, the cameraperson zoomed in to two the people below sitting on the grass, hugging and looking up at the raccoon. “All you need is love, and some hope, and a raccoon,” reporter Lindsey Seavert said. If that doesn’t sum up this bizarre journey perfectly, nothing can.
