A new heritage plaque now sits in the downtown core to commemorate a Toronto raccoon who captured the hearts of the city and the internet just over a decade ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The plaque, located at Church and Yonge streets, honours Conrad the Racoon, whose death in 2015 sparked reaction online after his body laid on the sidewalk for 14 hours before being removed by Toronto Animal Services.\u00a0<\/p>\n
To mark the 10th anniversary of his passing, Heritage Toronto is celebrating Conrad\u2019s life and impact on the city with the established plaque.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The sensational racoon, known for the hashtag #DeadRacoonTO, prompted passersby to create a makeshift memorial around his lifeless body, leaving a donation box, candles, flowers, and other mementos at the site.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Photos of the growing tribute were shared on social media, turning the raccoon into a symbol of the city\u2019s quirky charm and nature.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOn the morning of July 9, 2015, the body of a raccoon was found on the sidewalk near 819 Yonge Street. Nicknamed Conrad, the raccoon became a social media sensation, and a makeshift memorial on the site grew. Eventually, Toronto Animal Services removed Conrad, leaving the collection of offerings behind,\u201d Heritage Toronto said on its website<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The raccoon\u2019s plaque features photos of the animal and the tweets that fueled the viral reaction, raccoon paw imprints, educational content, fun facts about the critters who inhabit the city, and a QR code \u201c2 pay respects\u201d and garner engagement.\u00a0<\/p>\n Racoons \u2013 called esibanag in Anishinaabemowin \u2013 the language spoken by the Missisaugas of the Credit First Nation, are native to North America. The animals are known for their adaptiveness, nocturnal nature, and ability to live in a wide range of climates and habitats.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOver time, raccoons have adapted extremely well to city life, finding ways to thrive despite attempts to keep them away. Raccoons are typically active at night. In cities, they prefer to live in plentiful attics, sheds, and other human-made structures instead of their natural homes in hollow tree trunks,\u201d the heritage plaque reads.\u00a0<\/p>\n In addition, the plaque says approximately more than 50,000 raccoons live in Toronto, citing their resourcefulness, resilience, and \u201ccheeky personalities\u201d which have contributed to their \u201creputation as the unofficial mascots of Toronto.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Meanwhile, some people online offered their thoughts on Conrad\u2019s plaque, along with memories of the masked critter.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cCan\u2019t believe it\u2019s already been 10 years\u2026 feels like just yesterday we were all leaving flowers and half-eaten hotdogs for our fallen trash panda hero,\u201d one Reddit user commented.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSo that means it was 10 years ago today I became obsessed with raccoons. That\u2019s what sparked it, and I\u2019ve loved them ever since. How has it been a decade?\u201d another user said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Others offered their condolences to the viral animal.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cFly high little trash panda <3\u201d one Reddit user commented.<\/p>\n \u201cRest in peace in that heavenly dumpster Conrad\u2026\u201d another user said.\u00a0<\/p>\n