Wayward raccoon falls asleep outside Saskatoon Starbucks

Patrons of the Starbucks in Midtown got a brush with wildlife on Thursday after a wayward raccoon decided to bed down in a tree just outside the downtown Saskatoon café.

Dawn, a volunteer with Living Sky Wildlife Rehabilitation who declined to share her last name, said she got a call about the critter on Thursday morning.

“I think this little guy just fell asleep up in the tree waiting for Starbucks to open,” she told CTV News.

“He’s probably still sittin’ there, cause he was fast asleep.”

Since the raccoon is healthy, she said the rescue won’t get involved.

Dawn says raccoons in Saskatoon generally stay along the river, and this one would likely head that way after dark.

Raccoons are nocturnal, which is why they’re not often seen in this city, but Dawn says her organization does sometimes get calls when raccoon families try to nest on people’s property.

They usually let people know that bright lights and loud noises will ward them off.

Dawn advises members of the public to leave the animal alone until it moves on. It poses no threat, she says.

“They are not going to attack anybody. They are way more scared of you than you are of them.”