It was the evening of the 海角社区官网Maple Leafs鈥 karmic comeback against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Alex Chow was shopping that Thursday evening around 8 p.m. at the Loblaws near the Dupont and Christie Streets intersection when he heard a mixture of shoppers and employees buzzing about it.
It was a sight Torontonians know all too well. Furry and curious, the city鈥檚 unofficial mascot, a raccoon, was strolling around by the grocery store鈥檚 cashier tills.
鈥淚 thought (the cherry blossoms at High Park) were going to be the highlight of my day,鈥 Chow told the Star. 鈥淗owever, this happened.鈥
Chow, who was grocery shopping at the back of the store, abandoned his cart at the back of the store to see the little loitering lummox for himself.
鈥淭his is so Toronto,鈥 Chow said, adding that his feelings of annoyance over acquiring a cart with a jammed rear wheel were rectified once he saw the raccoon. 鈥淗ogtown is such an outdated archaic nickname. (Toronto) should be 鈥楻accoon City.鈥欌
Amusement was balanced with a measured caution to 鈥渕aintain a safe distance lest the critter may have rabies or distemper鈥 even as a small group of people pulled out their phones.
According to Chow, the Loblaws store workers were discussing how to deal with the (un)wanted guest before he returned to his shopping cart. 鈥淚 cannot definitively tell you what they ultimately did with it. So, I can neither confirm or deny if the raccoon was given a hero鈥檚 exit or not.鈥
The raccoon 鈥渨as safely ushered out with the help of staff and customers,鈥 after a short time, store parent company Loblaw said in an emailed statement.
Raccoons are staples of this city. Whether you were part of Conrad鈥檚 memorial curation in 2015, or raccoons busted into your home and stared you down defiantly while eating your bread, almost everyone in 海角社区官网has a raccoon story. The nocturnal mammals have either terrorized or amused residents of the city so much so that one Scarborough resident created a 鈥淭rash Panda鈥 video game during the pandemic allowing players to roam the city as a raccoon.
According to pest control service Pest Protection Plus Inc., as of December 2022, the raccoon population is estimated to be around 200,000 in Toronto. To put that into perspective, it鈥檚 more than the human populations in both Oshawa and Barrie (independently), according to the most recent census data.
The raccoon is known to be a highly intelligent creature as well. have demonstrated they perform well on cognitive tests, show innovative and flexible behaviour, and have manual dexterity to explore their surroundings and manipulate objects. Heck, they even bested the city鈥檚 raccoon-proof green bin revamp in what鈥檚 described as the greatest human effort in our 鈥渨ar鈥 against their kind.
Further affirming Toronto鈥檚 vision of the city as the raccoon capital of the world, a found that Toronto鈥檚 trash pandas are chunkier and have higher levels of glycated serum protein (a marker of high blood glucose) than in other parts of southern Ontario primarily because of the types of food we throw out.
Naturally, if raccoons are a dime a dozen, so are their interactions with people. But not all narratives are positive. According to the city, 海角社区官网Animal Services received 13,712 requests to help sick and hurt raccoons in 2020, compared to 4,172 in 2019.
As of April 1, new regulations under the city鈥檚 Animals Bylaw prohibits feeding wildlife on both private and public properties across Toronto.
鈥淔eeding wild animals changes their natural instincts and may increase their presence and tolerance of people, creating problems for both wildlife and 海角社区官网communities,鈥 the .
With files from Amy Dempsey.
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