Video: Raccoon Climbs St. Paul Office Building, Captivates Locals

The plight of one wily raccoon has caught the attention of a city as the critter endlessly ascends and descends the heights of a skyscraper.

The raccoon, known fondly under the hashtag #mprraccoon, was first spotted by intrepid Minnesota Public Radio reporter Tim Nelson having apparently been stuck on the ledge of a nearby building for two days.

According to Nelson, when a maintenance crew managed to get the animal to leave the ledge, it only jumped onto a nearby building. Then it started to climb.

Related: Woman took her pet raccoon to emergency services because it was too stoned to move

The building emblazoned with the logo of the UBS bank is next door to the MPR offices in St Paul, Minnesota, leaving the public broadcaster with a clear view of the ascending mammal, NPR reported.

Images and videos flooded social media, including the one above which includes the person who appears to be behind the camera saying "I'm going to have a heart attack," as they watch the raccoon edge closer to the very top of the building.

"You can do it, Rocket!" they say at one point, a reference many were using to the character of Rocket Raccoon voiced by Bradley Cooper in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise.

Nelson reported that local animal control had placed live traps on the roof of the building hoping to snare and save the animal if he makes it to the top. While some asked what authorities were doing for the creature, Nelson also noted that it's difficult to get close to animals that could feel threatened, potentially putting the creature and any workers in more danger.

Though the roof was ready with baited traps, the latest updates appear to show the raccoon descending the building after reaching as high as the 23rd floor. The last early morning update from Nelson had him on the 17th floor.

With the city on tenterhooks over the fate of the likely exhausted animal, even St Paul's mayor, Melvin Carter had something to add.

"Even wild animals know @cityofsaintpaul is a great place to reach for higher heights," he tweeted. "We're working with staff & building owner to find a way to help #MPRraccoon without further endangering it or staff by scaring or making it feel threatened."

The little climber has even prompted a (presumably not raccoon-run) parody account on Twitter. "I made a big mistake," they posted.

4:17am EST:

Reporters on the ground are posting that yjr St. Paul's raccoon saga appears to have come to an end as footage shows the little guy crawling up and over, onto the roof of the building, around 2-3am local time. It is not yet known whether the internet celebrity survived the ordeal or if officials on the roof managed to capture it with the planned traps.

This article was updated to reflect the lack of information on the raccoon's situation following its ascension to the roof.