ST PAUL, MINNESOTA (REUTERS) - A raccoon that climbed to the top of a 25-storey skyscraper in St Paul, Minnesota, was captured and released into the wild on Wednesday (June 13) after becoming a star on the Web, where it won the hearts of followers across the United States and around the globe.

"After a delicious meal of soft cat food, #mprraccoon has been caught and will be picked up by Wildlife Management. Goodbye friend!," said a Tweet issued by building management of the building, UBS Plaza.

At a little before 3am local time (4pm Singapore time), the animal made it to the roof of the building after it took a hours-long break on a 17th floor window sill, according to live feed posted by local media.

Atop the building, animal control officers put pungent cat food in traps, the St Paul Pioneer-Press reported.

The raccoon's saga began about two days earlier when the brown, masked critter was spotted stranded on a ledge of the office tower.

On Tuesday, the raccoon slowly scaled the building, reaching the 23rd floor as its legend grew on social media with every floor it climbed.

As it ascended, well-wishers gathered on the sidewalk below to take photos and root for its safety.