AS millions across the United States slept, a small raccoon who first captured the attention of the state of Minnesota, and then the world, did something remarkable.

He made it to the roof of a skyscraper.

At about 2:30 a.m. local time, a grainy live feed from St. Paul showed a shadowy little figure scurrying up and onto the top of a 25-story building, prompting an almost audible sigh of relief from the Internet.

For hours Tuesday, Twitter users followed the exploits of the daredevil free-climbing raccoon. The drama started after maintenance workers removed the creature from the roof of a St. Paul office block.

Not prepared to take a hint, it headed to the neighboring UBS tower — one of the tallest buildings in the city.

Then it started to climb.

People noticed, and before long it had its own Twitter account.

The hashtag #mprraccoon began to trend, attracting celebrity followers.

“I’ll donate a thousand bucks to the non-political charity of choice to anyone who saves this raccoon. I can’t handle this. Poor dude.”

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn)

The city’s mayor, Melvin Carter, assured raccoon-watchers help was on the way.

“Even wild animals know @cityofsaintpaul is a great place to reach for higher heights. 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.”

— Mayor Melvin Carter (@MayorCarter_) June 12, 2018

With no balconies or windows that open, office workers inside the building were left to watch anxiously as the raccoon continued its climb.

At the 23rd floor, it stopped for a nap, allowing time for more photos.

“He is on the ledge on our floor. He seems to be doing well. We’ve been told that the building has live traps on the roof and are trying to get him to go up there. We all just have to keep our fingers crossed.”

— Paige Donnelly law (@donnelly_law) June 12, 2018

As night descended on St. Paul, the raccoon appeared to start climbing down, before reversing course. Concerned that the raccoon had become trapped, Twitter users called for a host of inventive solutions, including sending up a hot air balloon to take the raccoon to safety.

In the end, there was no need. The raccoon was caught and was to be picked up by the city’s Department of Safety & Inspections, according to a tweet from the building’s owner, UBS Financial Services.

The critter was put into a cage after “a delicious meal of soft cat food,” according to UBS.

Wildlife Management Services, the company that set the traps, retrieved the raccoon Wednesday morning, said Laurie Brickley, a spokeswoman for the city’s Department of Safety and Inspections.

The raccoon was a female of about 2 years old, Brickley said. “She was a little skinny but in good shape,” she added.

By the time the team reached the animal, it was “incredibly tired,” and had eaten all that was in the live trap and had drank a lot of water, Brickley said.

Later, the company said on Facebook that the raccoon had been released on private residential property in the suburbs of the Twin Cities with permission from the owner and after consultation with the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota.

Raccoons can be vicious creatures, many people noted online. They attack pets and eat trash. They also carry rabies (though the disease is “quite rare” among Minnesota raccoons, the state says) and a deadly parasite they pass through their feces.

Raccoons are skilled climbers with strong claws and will rapidly scurry up trees to escape danger. By rotating their hind feet, they can descend from trees headfirst.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources estimates that between 800,000 and 1 million raccoons live throughout the state.

(SD-Agencies)