From the archives: How a dead raccoon touched the heart of a city

The story of Conrad on the tenth anniversary of his death.

Ten years after his death, Heritage Toronto has installed a plaque in memory of Conrad the Raccoon. On their website, they write: “On the 10th anniversary of Conrad’s death, we’ve opened a book of memories. We hope you will share your fond memories of Conrad or any other Toronto raccoons who made an impact on your life.”

Ten years ago, I wrote about Conrad on Treehugger, reconstructed here from the Internet Archives:

Over the past few years, I have not had much good to say about Toronto's governance or management. Lots of people feel the same way; it's hard to know what to do about it. You can get mad, or you can have some fun with it, which yesterday a lot of people did. There was a big dead raccoon on the sidewalk of a major mid-town intersection that was tweeted into the city's 311 services; they acknowledged it.

But then nothing happened. The city never came. People started feeling sorry for the poor thing and someone stuck a note on it saying "rest dear raccoon, help is on the way."

The shrine continued to grow.

Eleven hours after the city said it is on its way, the raccoon has a hashtag, flowers, a photo and a condolence card.

After nightfall, the candles and a donation box come out. Then around eleven Animal Services comes along and finally removes it. As Buzzfeed notes:

The worker placed the raccoon in a garbage bag as a small crowd watched, mostly in silence. “Seriously guys, it’s a dead raccoon,” the worker said. He was oblivious to the moment, to how this dead raccoon had united so many.

It's all very silly. But there is an underlying message: Even in a city still suffering from Rob Ford withdrawal symptoms, with chronically, purposefully underfunded services that don't work like they are supposed to in one of the richest cities in the world, people can still have some fun.

Last year, Adam Bunch, The Toronto Time Traveler, was asked to write a eulogy for Conrad. He concludes:

He gave us a chance to show a different side of Toronto: a more joyful side. To show our warmth, our love, our compassion… maybe some of our sense of humour, too. Conrad highlighted the ways in which our city sometimes fails us… and on that day nine years ago, ordinary people stepped in to fill that gap with kindness.

So, may the memory of Conrad The Raccoon be a reminder that we all have that power — and may it push us to build a better city, a kinder city, a more hopeful city. To live up to the promise made on the very first note left at Conrad's side that day, a message I think we all deserve to hear in our moments of need:

“Rest dear raccoon. Help is on the way from the city.”