'This is certainly an unusual event': Raccoon escorted out of major Toronto hospital

Images of the raccoon at one of Toronto's major hospitals. (Twitter/yesitsDrStark)

A raccoon had to be escorted out of a major Toronto hospital last week by security after it somehow entered the building.

The furry little creature managed to get inside Toronto General Hospital on Nov. 14, but a spokesperson for the UHN’s security isn’t sure how.

“This is certainly an unusual event," Larissa Cahute of UHN said in an emailed statement to CTV News Toronto. “We can’t be sure how long it was inside for – as far as we know, it did not wander off anywhere."

“As I was grabbing my morning coffee (large) I spotted a raccoon strolling casually into TGH,” Jamie Stark, another person who captured the moment, said on Twitter. “I wasn’t sure what colour code to call so he almost made it into the Eaton Elevators before being stopped by security who escorted him out.”

Cahute was not sure how long the raccoon’s visit went on for, but “as far as we know, it did not wander off anywhere.”

The raccoon was “acting normal”, Cahute says, and the security guard walked the creature to the nearest exit.

Cahute is unsure of what happened to the raccoon after it left, but the City of Toronto warns against approaching raccoons or touching them – even if they appear tame or injured.