Raccoon That 'United America' Has Been Rescued

The skyscraper-ascending raccoon of Minnesota has reportedly been rescued. NPR reports the determined climber, which had been trapped at various spots on the UBS building in St. Paul for two days, is said to finally have been trapped by building management, per a law firm on the 23rd floor of the tower. CBS News notes the raccoon—which became an internet sensation under the #mprraccoon hashtag—had been alternately climbing and descending the 25-story building. The windows on the building don't open, so building maintenance staff set traps on the roof, hoping the raccoon would make it to the top, per USA Today.

And the resolute raccoon did, finally climbing onto the roof early Wednesday (a local reporter has video of that small triumph). The raccoon did reportedly end up in a live trap. People in the tower, in St. Paul, and on social media had been following the raccoon's journey, with some worried it could fall, and now everyone's breathing a sigh of relief. "In our office we are just glad he is safe. We were all worried about him," says an attorney with the Paige Donnelly firm, on whose 23rd-story ledge the raccoon had rested for a while. One commenter acknowledged the raccoon's inadvertent patriotism: "This raccoon is doing a better job at uniting America than either political party." (More raccoons stories.)