Latest news with #DeadRaccoonTO
Hamilton Spectator
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Viral Toronto raccoon ‘Conrad' gets plaque 10 years after his death — plus other famous Ontario animals to remember
A viral, dead raccoon that brought the Toronto community together with memes on social media has now been commemorated in a special plaque. A decade ago, a dead raccoon was spotted lying downtown at Church and Yonge streets. People created an impromptu shrine, adding flowers, a photo of a live raccoon, a marker to sign a condolence card, cigarettes, battery-powered candles and more. Someone put a joint in #DeadRaccoonTO 's hand. #pouroneoutformydeadhomies He was later nicknamed Conrad, and #DeadRacoonTO gained popularity as word spread about the deceased mammal. Many showed up to pay their respects, and grab a photo. One fan even encouraged residents to pay tribute to Conrad by leaving green bins open for the night. Passerbys take photos of a memorial at the corner of Church and Yonge for a dead raccoon on July 9, 2015. Conrad was later removed from the scene by animal services, as the candles and flowers were left behind. This is what is left of #DeadRaccoonTO Now, in a weird twist, he is now memorialized with a plaque. Even though he was only there for 14 hours, Heritage Toronto has decided to create a plaque , with a QR code to an online website to promote engagement, as an honour to Conrad. The Heritage Toronto plaque, in honour of Conrad the Racoon, at the southeast corner of Yonge and Church streets. Fans can leave their memories of the famous raccoon. 'On this solemn tenth anniversary we remember Conrad, a raccoon of unusual charisma and extremely questionable judgment, who left this earthly coil outside 819 Yonge Street in 2015. Some say it was natural causes. Others blame expired sushi. One brave witness claimed he simply 'lay down like he owned the block.' And honestly? That tracks,' D Hamilton wrote on the memorial. 'Thanks for making us unite and laugh again, Conrad. You'll never be forgotten,' Inanimate Carbon Rod wrote on the site. 'Legends never die. Conrad lives on in the hearts of Torontonians,' Jeanean wrote. And while Conrad fans get another moment to relive the joy he brought, there are a few other animals that have had their moment in the spotlight. Here are some to remember: It's been 12 years since the internet fell in love with 'Darwin,' the Ikea monkey who was seen wandering a North York store in a fancy coat. He attracted attention after he was seen first in the parking lot, and then roaming the Ikea store wearing a sheepskin coat and a diaper, with photos going viral of his sweet face. Captured by security, 'Darwin' now lives at a primate sanctuary. Two dog-sized tropical rodents known as capybaras busted out of Toronto's High Park Zoo in 2016. Named Bonnie and Clyde, they were on the lam for a month before being caught again. In the meantime, people learned a lot about the capybara, and different sightings eventually led to their capture. Last summer, a Pennsylvania couple captured what appeared to be an alligator, or possibly a caiman, swimming in the water of Lake Erie, gaining some notoriety on social media. It wasn't confirmed if he was still in the water, but scientists shared it wouldn't likely survive the cold winter in the area. After long weekend fireworks frightened an Innisfil monkey in July 2016, it escaped and was evading capture. It was going from rooftop to rooftop, to backyards to trees, and ate part of a banana used to lure him down, but couldn't be seized by police. Finally, 'Mango' was captured by an animal sanctuary, and as monkeys are prohibited in the town, it was sent to the Elmvale Zoo to live. To see comments being left for Conrad the Toronto Raccoon, and leave one for yourself, visit . Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Edmonton Journal
2 days ago
- General
- Edmonton Journal
Dead Toronto raccoon whose sidewalk memorial went viral in 2015 immortalized with heritage plaque
Article content TORONTO — Ten years ago, a dead raccoon on a downtown Toronto street sparked an impromptu sidewalk shrine as passersby laid flowers, candles and cigarettes around the critter. Article content Now, Conrad the raccoon has been immortalized in the city's history with a heritage plaque at the spot where it all happened. Article content Article content Conrad went viral in 2015 after his remains laid on the sidewalk at the corner of Yonge and Church streets for nearly 14 hours following a social media post reporting the dead animal to the city. Article content Meg Sutton, plaques co-ordinator with Heritage Toronto, says the 10th anniversary of Conrad's death is the perfect occasion to revive the raccoon's story, which she says united Canadians across the country. Article content The plaque includes photos of the posts that launched the DeadRaccoonTO hashtag, imprints of raccoon paws and a QR code that leads to a website where people can post their own raccoon stories. Article content As the first-ever animal plaque in the city, Sutton says it also serves to highlight the natural history of raccoons in urban spaces. Article content #NeverForget #DeadRaccoonTO — mound (@PITmounD) June 17, 2016 Article content In the early 1900s, industrialization and deforestation caused such a threat to the raccoon population that people worried the creatures would go extinct, she said. Article content Article content 'Now, raccoons have become so adaptable and resilient that they've made their homes in attics and sheds, they've found new diet sources and human-discarded food, and they've just become these cheeky personalities that run amok,' Sutton said Tuesday in an interview. Article content After a month, a permanent version of the plaque will be installed to replace the QR code with life-size raccoon prints since the QR code requires maintenance and upkeep, Sutton said.
Vancouver Sun
2 days ago
- General
- Vancouver Sun
Dead Toronto raccoon whose sidewalk memorial went viral in 2015 immortalized with heritage plaque
TORONTO — Ten years ago, a dead raccoon on a downtown Toronto street sparked an impromptu sidewalk shrine as passersby laid flowers, candles and cigarettes around the critter. Now, Conrad the raccoon has been immortalized in the city's history with a heritage plaque at the spot where it all happened. Conrad went viral in 2015 after his remains laid on the sidewalk at the corner of Yonge and Church streets for nearly 14 hours following a social media post reporting the dead animal to the city. Meg Sutton, plaques co-ordinator with Heritage Toronto, says the 10th anniversary of Conrad's death is the perfect occasion to revive the raccoon's story, which she says united Canadians across the country. The plaque includes photos of the posts that launched the DeadRaccoonTO hashtag, imprints of raccoon paws and a QR code that leads to a website where people can post their own raccoon stories. As the first-ever animal plaque in the city, Sutton says it also serves to highlight the natural history of raccoons in urban spaces. #NeverForget #DeadRaccoonTO In the early 1900s, industrialization and deforestation caused such a threat to the raccoon population that people worried the creatures would go extinct, she said. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'Now, raccoons have become so adaptable and resilient that they've made their homes in attics and sheds, they've found new diet sources and human-discarded food, and they've just become these cheeky personalities that run amok,' Sutton said Tuesday in an interview. So far, more than 400 people have scanned the QR code on Conrad's plaque and the web page has been visited more than 1,000 times. After a month, a permanent version of the plaque will be installed to replace the QR code with life-size raccoon prints since the QR code requires maintenance and upkeep, Sutton said. Promoting community engagement was the main goal of the plaque, she said, since 'everyone has a raccoon story in Toronto.' 'Conrad is one for the people, where he represents a lot of individual moments or interactions,' Sutton said. 'And I think we all kind of fell in love with him.'
National Post
2 days ago
- General
- National Post
Dead Toronto raccoon whose sidewalk memorial went viral in 2015 immortalized with heritage plaque
TORONTO — Ten years ago, a dead raccoon on a downtown Toronto street sparked an impromptu sidewalk shrine as passersby laid flowers, candles and cigarettes around the critter. Article content Now, Conrad the raccoon has been immortalized in the city's history with a heritage plaque at the spot where it all happened. Article content Article content Conrad went viral in 2015 after his remains laid on the sidewalk at the corner of Yonge and Church streets for nearly 14 hours following a social media post reporting the dead animal to the city. Article content Meg Sutton, plaques co-ordinator with Heritage Toronto, says the 10th anniversary of Conrad's death is the perfect occasion to revive the raccoon's story, which she says united Canadians across the country. Article content The plaque includes photos of the posts that launched the DeadRaccoonTO hashtag, imprints of raccoon paws and a QR code that leads to a website where people can post their own raccoon stories. Article content As the first-ever animal plaque in the city, Sutton says it also serves to highlight the natural history of raccoons in urban spaces. Article content #NeverForget #DeadRaccoonTO — mound (@PITmounD) June 17, 2016 Article content In the early 1900s, industrialization and deforestation caused such a threat to the raccoon population that people worried the creatures would go extinct, she said. Article content Article content 'Now, raccoons have become so adaptable and resilient that they've made their homes in attics and sheds, they've found new diet sources and human-discarded food, and they've just become these cheeky personalities that run amok,' Sutton said Tuesday in an interview. Article content
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
Raccoon whose sidewalk death went viral in 2015 immortalized in Toronto's history
TORONTO – Ten years ago, a dead raccoon on a downtown Toronto street sparked an impromptu sidewalk shrine as passersby laid flowers, candles and cigarettes around the critter. Now, Conrad the raccoon has been immortalized in the city's history with a heritage plaque at the spot where it all happened. Conrad went viral in 2015 after his remains laid on the sidewalk at the corner of Yonge and Church streets for nearly 14 hours following a social media post reporting the dead animal to the city. Meg Sutton, plaques co-ordinator with Heritage Toronto, says the 10th anniversary of Conrad's death is the perfect occasion to revive the raccoon's story, which she says united Canadians across the country. The plaque includes photos of the posts that launched the DeadRaccoonTO hashtag, imprints of raccoon paws and a QR code that leads to a website where people can post their own raccoon stories. As the first-ever animal plaque in the city, Sutton says it also serves to highlight the natural history of raccoons in urban spaces. In the early 1900s, industrialization and deforestation caused such a threat to the raccoon population that people worried the creatures would go extinct, she said. 'Now, raccoons have become so adaptable and resilient that they've made their homes in attics and sheds, they've found new diet sources and human-discarded food, and they've just become these cheeky personalities that run amok,' Sutton said Tuesday in an interview. So far, more than 400 people have scanned the QR code on Conrad's plaque and the web page has been visited more than 1,000 times. After a month, a permanent version of the plaque will be installed to replace the QR code with life-size raccoon prints since the QR code requires maintenance and upkeep, Sutton said. Promoting community engagement was the main goal of the plaque, she said, since 'everyone has a raccoon story in Toronto.' 'Conrad is one for the people, where he represents a lot of individual moments or interactions,' Sutton said. 'And I think we all kind of fell in love with him.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 22, 2025.
