Dead Toronto raccoon ignites Twitter & sidewalk memorials
Posted July 10, 2015 1:02 am.
Last Updated July 10, 2015 6:46 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Twitter can unite people in bizarre ways, and in this case, it was a dead raccoon lying on the street at Yonge and Church.
The first tweet about the animal was posted at about 9 a.m. Thursday, prompting a quick response from the city that Animal Services had been notified.
But as day turned to night, the raccoon remained on its back on the sidewalk, prompting a flurry of tweets and even a makeshift memorial.
The memorial included a small framed picture of a raccoon, a sympathy card signed by passersby, a single rose tucked under one of its paws and even a lit candle. Several notes were left, including one that pointed out the Twitter hashtag #DeadRaccoonTO.
Flowers and notes continued to pile up more than 12 hours after the initial post and even city councillor Norm Kelly chimed in with several tweets urging the city to remove the raccoon.
One person tweeted: “Sleep well, my sweet prince, people love you and remember you,” while another tweeted: “We Torontonians are a sick bunch. But funny.”
As the sun set, a candlelight vigil was set up.
In this Youtube video, someone who appeared to be a city worker took a photo of the raccoon during the day and then left.
Video courtesy Geoff Nielson
Finally, at about 11 p.m., a city worker removed the animal and left the makeshift memorial intact.
