Toronto raccoon tries to catch snowflakes in adorable video
Want to see something really cute? Of course you do — it's a cold Friday afternoon in the middle of a pandemic with stay-at-home lockdown orders in effect.
If ever there were time when Toronto needed a new funny raccoon video, now would be that time.
Fortunately, local photographer Kyle Taylor just captured on camera what might be the most adorable thing one of our city's unofficial mascots has done in 2021 so far (within human eyeshot, at least.)
Check out this portly procyon lotor attempting to grab snowflakes out of the air with his famously-dexterous hands — presumably to eat them, as raccoons are wont to do with almost everything.
Like all of the raccoons before him who've tried to wash cotton candy on Japanese television, the critter obviously can't catch the snowflakes.
Instead, much to his chilly confusion, they melt upon impact. But gosh darn if he doesn't look just like the sweetest little teddy bear while trying!
Embrace winter like this Toronto raccoon who just wants to catch some snowflakes - 📹 @livingbyyyz #Toronto #TorontoRaccoon pic.twitter.com/aPusduJt62
— blogTO (@blogTO) January 22, 2021
Taylor tells blogTO that he was out and about shooting photos near Royal York and Eglinton last night when he noticed the chonky nightboi.
"This little guy was limping and stopped on the road to a condo, so I stopped to see if he was ok," said the professional photographer. "I fed him some food, made sure he got off the road... But before then, he had to take a seat and feel the snow."
While he normally shoots high-octane photos of emergency responders in action, Taylor couldn't help but turn his lens toward the raccoon after feeding it.
What he captured was not only cute, but important, as animal rescue workers now know where to look out for the limping animal (Taylor called 311 and said the raccoon limped off on his own with no trouble.)
Whether he was a young kit who'd never seen snow before, or simply a wishful thinker who thought that more human food might be falling from the sky, this raccoon is a shining example of the resilient Toronto spirit.
Stay strong and stay hopeful, friends, just like the snowflake-chasing trash panda.
Kyle Taylor (submitted to blogTO)
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