Raccoons are known for their mischievous nature. Often called “masked bandits” or, more recently, “trash pandas,” these rascally creatures often get into places where they are not supposed to be, frustrating humans. A Toronto raccoon caused more than a minor inconvenience on February 1 when it “fiddled” with electricity equipment, plunging thousands in the downtown core into darkness. The power outage knocked out traffic lights and trapped several people in elevators. Overall, 7,000 people were affected by the nearly-three-hour outage. Toronto’s fire department said it responded to “a higher number of elevator rescues” during this time. Â
A spokesperson for the Hydro One transmission station confirmed that the curious raccoon had “perished” after making contact with a transformer, noting that animals are often attracted to the warmth emanating from power stations. She said that the utility is taking the situation seriously and looking at measures that could be put in place to prevent similar outages in the future.
Figures provided by Toronto’s electricity provider show that raccoons were to blame for 13 power outages in the city in 2023. On average, those outages were restored within 80 min. Current measures to prevent incidents like these include periodic patrols to address signs of animal encroachment and the installation of animal guards and enclosures on equipment that may be more prone to animal contact.
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