Dead raccoon tribute gets USA, United Kingdom headlines

A lifeless raccoon found a level of fame and garnered an upwelling of sympathy – and snickers -Thursday when the animal’s body was discovered on a busy Toronto street corner.

The story of a dead raccoon on a Toronto sidewalk – and the #DeadRaccoonTO hashtag that emerged on Twitter after the city government’s delayed response – all started when Jason Wagar did his civic duty.

So a memorial began to take shape.

City officials confirmed that Conrad – like all dead animals picked up by animal services – will be cremated.

And, with nightfall, the candles came out, as reported by City of Toronto Councillor Norm Kelly, who also suggested with tongue firmly in cheek that the city’s residents left the lids of their green bins open as a mark of respect. It was given a name, Conrad, and dozens of photos of people visiting the memorial were posted on Twitter.

Conrad’s body was removed by animal services shortly before midnight leaving the memorial behind.

“Sleep well my sweet prince, people loved you and remember you”, one person wrote. “And people think we’re a divided city”.

As the day unfolded, he decided to contribute his own jokes to the mix.

Flowers, a condolence card that passersby signed and even a framed photo of Conrad in better times stood vigil at the intersection of Yonge and Scollard streets.