Go Rocky: Raccoon takes the train in Toronto

Passengers in Toronto evacuated a train on Tuesday after coming face to face with a raccoon-shaped stowaway in their carriage.

The furry creature came to workers’ attention when they heard a passenger shriek as she spotted the raccoon, later dubbed Rocky, roaming around.

Rocky then enjoyed a train ride with the entire carriage to himself, all the way from the city’s main rail transport hub, Union Station, to Aldershot Station, in the west of the city, after passengers self-evacuated.

He was met at his final destination by Burlington Animal Services.

Raccoons can carry several diseases including rabies and can become aggressive. However, staff said that Rocky showed no signs of aggression.

The coach that the raccoon had traveled in was removed from service to be inspected and disinfected, according to Metrolinx spokesperson, Anne Marie Aikins.

GO Transit and the Mayor of Toronto took to twitter to turn the incident into some positive PR.

This is not the first time the transit company has had a four legged creature on board, and neither is it the first time the city has had a celebrity raccoon.

Last month GO Transit welcomed Turbo the goat on their service to mark the Royal Winter Fair. The five-year-old Nigerian dwarf goat became an online celebrity after his trip.

In July, Conrad the dead raccoon soared to fame despite merely lying dead on a street corner. An initial gifting of a sympathetic card and a flower, left by a small group of people who worked nearby, exploded into a mass outpouring of grief culminating in a candlelit vigil.