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Raccoon falls through ceiling at Grand Geneva restaurant
A raccoon fell through the ceiling of a Grand Geneva restaurant Sunday night, bit a guest, and was later euthanized and sent for rabies testing, according to deputies and wildlife officials.
LAKE GENEVA, Wis. - Guests dining at one of Grand Geneva Resort’s restaurants got an unexpected and unwelcome surprise Sunday night when a raccoon fell into the dining room and bit a customer.
What we know:
The Walworth County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were called to the resort around 7:30 p.m. after a raccoon got loose inside the dining area at Ristorante Brissago and bit a guest.
What began as a fine dining experience quickly turned into a wildlife rescue.
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According to the sheriff’s office, the raccoon fell through the ceiling of the upscale restaurant, landing in the dining room. One guest attempted to grab the animal and was bitten.
Wildlife control expert Matt Snorek with Guaranteed Gone Wildlife Control said he was called in to help manage the situation.
What they're saying:
"We don’t know how this raccoon got there," said Snorek. "Phone rang, it was a resort in Lake Geneva. They said, ‘Hey do you do wild life control?’ I said yes."
Snorek said the raccoon was large and aggressive by the time he was dispatched to the scene.
"It was quite a large raccoon. So he was on it for the 25 minutes I was on the way there as this thing was brawling, scratching, hissing," Snorek said.
Snorek said calls involving wildlife entering buildings are not uncommon, especially during extreme cold.
"When it gets brutally cold like it was these last two days – it's not uncommon to get these calls for raccoons going into a structure," he said.
As for Sunday’s incident, Snorek said the resort followed the proper steps.
"They did all the right things – they got medical care for the person that was bit. He was taken to the hospital," Snorek said.
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Snorek said he was able to safely remove the raccoon. The animal was taken to a veterinary clinic, euthanized and is now being sent to Madison for rabies testing.
"Felt like I owed that to the person that got bit because his entire process for his treatment relies solely on whether we get this animal or not," Snorek said.
Dig deeper:
In a statement to FOX6, Marcus Hotels & Resorts said: "A raccoon entered the building last night. Animal Control was contacted, and the animal was removed. As always, the safety and well-being of our guests is our priority."
There was no immediate update on the condition of the guest who was bitten.
The Source: The information in this post was collected and produced by FOX6 News.