Raccoon rescued by Toronto Zoo after being kept illegally as pet dies

Macro the raccoon is seen in this photo provided by the Toronto Zoo. (Facebook/ Toronto Zoo)

A raccoon who got a new lease on life after he was confiscated from a private owner and rehomed at the Toronto Zoo two years ago has now passed away, the zoo said in a social media post.

Macro, who was brought to the Scarborough tourist attraction in 2023, had been kept illegally as a pet and was “severely overweight,” weighing 68 pounds when he first arrived.

Staff said after spending the first six months at the zoo’s Wildlife Health & Science Centre, where a team developed a specialized diet plan and monitored his weight loss, Macro dropped 26.5 pounds.

It was at that point he was introduced to Micro, another raccoon living in the zoo’s Canadian Domain.

“The Wildlife Care team and Micro welcomed him with open hearts and a determination to help him thrive,” the zoo said in a Facebook post.

“They knew it wouldn’t be easy. Macro didn’t understand what raccoons were supposed to do. He didn’t know how to forage or climb. But over time, and with extraordinary patience and care, the zoo’s team helped him rediscover what it meant to be a raccoon.”

He quickly became a “beloved member” of the zoo community, the post read, showing that “compassionate care” can give “even the most unlikely animals” a second chance.

On May 10, the zoo said, Macro’s team noticed that he wasn’t acting like himself and after an examination, it was determined that he had a large mass within one kidney and kidney stones in the other.

“With heavy hearts, the decision was made to humanely euthanize Macro due to poor prognosis—a choice grounded in compassion and animal well-being,” the social media post read.

“Macro’s story doesn’t end with sadness; it ends with gratitude. He was given a life full of second chances, care, and discovery. And in his quiet way, he left an imprint on everyone who knew him.”