07.02.2013

Racoons take over tower crane

Two large raccoons climbed almost 50 metres up a large tower crane in Seattle, Washington, in order to make a nest behind the crane’s cab.
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The crane is currently out of action while experts attempt to catch the racoons

The crane operator spotted the raccoons while climbing the tower yesterday morning. The main contractor, Rafn Co, then called on in specialists to catch the raccoons, but their initial efforts failed, as the racoons ran down the jib and back to escape capture.
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The racoons climbed almost 50 metres to make a nest at the back of the crane cab

Humane traps have now been set up to catch the racoon couple and meanwhile the crane, a Potain saddle jib model, stands idle, at the large apartment block site, in the Ballard region of the city.
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Perhaps we'll see Racoons driving cranes next?

Update
The racoons moved out on Thursday night on their own accord, after less than 48 hours in residence. Clearly high rise living did not appeal to them. We understand that the contractor was ahead of schedule and was able to deploy his resources elsewhere on site while they attempted to catch the animals with the humane traps. As it turned out all they had to do was wait.