A raccoon died on a busy city street. But that raccoon will not be forgotten, thanks to a flood of Twitter memorials. Was ever a raccoon so well loved, so well mourned?
Actually, it's not so much that the raccoon was loved. When the animal's corpse was discovered on a Toronto street Thursday morning, the city told residents that Animal Control had been notified and would take care of it.
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@jasonwagar Thank you for letting us know. This was reported a short while ago and Animal Services has been notified. ^de
— 311 Toronto (@311Toronto) July 9, 2015Hours passed and still the dead raccoon remained on the street.
So through the course of the day people constructed a memorial around it -- complete with a framed photo of the raccoon -- and held a vigil over Twitter under #DeadRaccoonTO. They gave the deceased a dignified name: Conrad.
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RIP, Conrad. May all your green bins be eternally open. #DeadRaccoonTOhttp://t.co/pYULzrUbUNpic.twitter.com/BVpjxk9688
— FrogDogZ (@FrogDogZ) July 10, 2015People signed a condolence card for Conrad. People who cared.[code]
sleep well my sweet prince, people loved you and remember you #deadraccoontopic.twitter.com/G7erlbktnx
— Chris Hahn (@heyhahn) July 9, 2015Someone sang a little Elton John.
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It seems to me you lived your life, like a raccoon in the trash
Never knowing what bin to eat from, when the lane got dark
#DeadRaccoonTO
— Andrew Tumilty (@AndrewTumilty) July 10, 2015Condolences were sent from far and wide, from every place that knows raccoons.
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Sending our best wishes from Texas, to our neighbors in the North. That sweet little trash panda will live on in our hearts. #DeadRaccoonTO
— nat. (@ladygnat) July 10, 2015Night fell, candles were lit, and still, Animal Control was nowhere to be found. The vigil continued.
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Soon to be released memoir from Conrad #DeadRaccoonTO
"Easy Streets, The Hard Way - Surviving in the Big Smoke" pic.twitter.com/csExrg1aDd
— Ed Doucette (@EdDoucette) July 10, 2015Councillor Norm Kelly (@Norm) was getting impatient. He called for residents to leave their green recycling bins open in remembrance while also tweeting his outrage to the city.
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Drake reacting to #DeadRaccoonTO. pic.twitter.com/t7EDv6rdFu
— Norm Kelly (@norm) July 10, 2015At last! At 11:00 p.m. a white van pulled up. The city had come to claim its native son and give the animal a proper sendoff. The wake was over.
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BREAKING: City of Toronto has arrived to remove the dead raccoon. #DeadRaccoonTOpic.twitter.com/uX3RVDSGxI
— Kris Pangilinan (@KrisReports) July 10, 2015Conrad was stuffed unceremoniously into a black bag. Some thought that was improper.
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After 12 hours with a memorial, the lil guy deserved a proper burial in a box, instead of being stuffed in a bag #DeadRaccoonTO
— Anthony Hampel (@antoin12qc) July 10, 2015[code]
#DeadRaccoonTO@norm#onedoesnotsimplypic.twitter.com/OM4lkSB04M
— Will Thompson (@PilotmanWholism) July 10, 2015Animal Services announced they would cremate Conrad, though they did not specify where his ashes would be spread.
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RIP #DeadRaccoonTO - was picked up last night and will be cremated.
— TO Animal Services (@TOAnimalService) July 10, 2015Rest in peace, Conrad, the raccoon who brought Toronto together!
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Lest We Forget
#DeadRaccoonTOpic.twitter.com/6ijYCqO7yB
— Josh Young (@_joshyoung) July 10, 2015Can you believe the city left a dead raccoon on the street for 14 hours? And can you believe how people responded?
Image via @FrogDogZ/Twitter