Raccoon caught on camera browsing the aisles at Toronto store

April 26 (UPI) -- A Toronto man shopping at his local grocery store captured video of an unusual fellow shopper browsing the aisles -- a raccoon.

Alex Chow said he was at the Loblaws store near the intersection of Dupont and Christie Streets when he heard a commotion that turned out to be onlookers watching a raccoon wander through the store.

Chow recorded a short video of the raccoon as it investigated the store's check-out area.

"This is so Toronto," Chow told the Toronto Star. "Hogtown is such an outdated archaic nickname. [Toronto] should be 'Raccoon City.'"

Chow said he and his fellow onlookers kept a safe distance from the raccoon in case it carried any diseases.

A Loblaws representative confirmed the incident, saying the raccoon "was safely ushered out with the help of staff and customers."

Toronto Animal Services warned residents not to approach raccoons, even in unusual places, due to a distemper outbreak in the city's raccoon population. Officials said the distemper outbreak is partially a result of the mild winter and stems from distemper cases noted by TAS in the fall.