Net sensation: Raccoon scales 25-storey tower, freed

A raccoon that became an internet sensation by scaling a 25-story office tower in downtown St. Paul was safely trapped and released back into the wild.

The raccoon looked a bit bedraggled but healthy after it was caught before dawn on Wednesday atop the UBS Plaza. Technicians took the caged raccoon down a freight elevator to a truck, according to Wildlife Management Services, which provides animal control services for St. Paul.

"It's definitely a healthy raccoon. It's in good condition. It's eating normally," said Christina Valdivia, the company's general manager, who accompanied the technicians to the rooftop.

The raccoon's adventures caused a stir on social media as it scaled the tower Tuesday, with many Twitter users voicing concern for its safety or joking about the drama as its seemly death-defying climb was livestreamed by several broadcasters. Valdivia said her motherin-law saw it on the news in Chile. The animal made it to the roof early ysaterday, where traps baited with cat food were waiting. The raccoon, a female, was released later in the day and scampered into a wooded area on private property near the Twin Cities suburb of Shakopee.

Minnesota Public Radio, which broke the story and closely followed the raccoon's climb from its headquarters less than a block away, branded the animal #mprraccoon. Among those riveted was Suzanne MacDonald, a raccoon behavior expert at York University in Toronto.