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Dead Raccoon in Toronto Gets Its Own Memorial

Mind you, there was even a candlelight vigil

Jul 10, 2015 11:52 GMT  ·  By
The deceased Conrad was eventually removed by Animal Services
   The deceased Conrad was eventually removed by Animal Services

Early Thursday morning, a resident of the city of Toronto in Canada found the lifeless body of a raccoon lying on a local street, and as any other dutiful citizen would have, he contacted authorities and asked that somebody be sent to dispose of it. 

He was told that Animal Services had already been informed of the inconvenience and that the deceased raccoon would be removed from the sidewalk without delay.

“Thank you for letting us know. This was reported a short while ago and Animal Services has been notified” was what authorities in Toronto told Jason Wagar. Hours later, however, the dead raccoon was yet to be collected and disposed of properly.

Rather than be disgusted by it, passersby took pity on the poor creature and arranged a memorial for it, complete with flowers and even a candlelight vigil. And so a dead raccoon became a viral star.

All it took was one simple note 

Apparently, it all started when somebody placed a note promising that things would soon be better next to the animal's corpse. “Rest dear raccoon. Help is on the way from the city,” the note said.

Not long after, a framed photo - supposedly a portrait of the dead raccoon from the days when it still had a pulse - also popped up on the sidewalk. Then things pretty much snowballed.

Somebody laid a single red rose on the animal's still body and condolences cards began to pile up. Candles were lit, and the raccoon, named Conrad, got its very own memorial service.

The hashtag #DeadRaccoonTO was started and photos of the shrine built by mourning citizens to honor the late Conrad the raccoon went viral on social media.

In case anyone was wondering, local Animal Services in Toronto did eventually show up and removed the body. It's unclear what they did with it, but it's safe to assume Conrad didn't exactly get a burial to match its memorial service.