This Raccoon Captivated the Internet in a Harrowing Climb Up a 25-Story Skyscraper

A few times a century, a hero attempts something so brazen that they enter the pantheon of history. Magellan. That French guy who walked across that wire. That guy who ate the most Chipotle ever. And we're thrilled to report the newest addition: a brave little raccoon who climbed a skyscraper in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The entire internet gathered on Tuesday afternoon to watch the critter's daring ascent, terrified that he might fail and in awe that he'd come this far. The little guy was spotted on Monday by Tim Nelson, a reporter for MPR, and the story spread like garbage scrounged by a raccoon. He was soon knighted the #mprraccoon by Twitter. 

The furry daredevil was originally stuck on a ledge of another building, but when a maintenance crew came to collect him, he fled to the UBS Plaza building and started climbing its over 20 floors. He didn't reach his destination until Wednesday and made the whole trip without food or water.

At around 5am Wednesday morning, Tim Nelson, who will presumably be played by Tom Hanks in the inevitable movie adaptation, tweeted that the raccoon had been trapped on the roof according to a law firm on the top floor.

You can see his final moments of triumph here. He'll soon return to the wild, but before they shipped our champion away, he ate a royal feast of soft cat food. Which is fitting because technically that raccoon is now king of Minnesota. 

h/tBuzzfeed, MPR

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James Chrisman is a News Writer at Thrillist. Send news tips to news@thrillist.com and follow him on Twitter @james_chrisman2.