Raccoon Falls Through Ceiling, Bites Guest at Lake Geneva Resort Restaurant

A Sunday night dinner at Grand Geneva Resort took a shocking turn when a raccoon fell through the ceiling of an upscale restaurant and bit a guest. The Walworth County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were called around 7:30 p.m. to Ristorante Brissago after the animal landed in the dining room while the restaurant was full.

According to authorities, one guest tried to grab the raccoon and was bitten during the encounter, prompting a swift response from law enforcement and wildlife control.

Wildlife Control Called to the Scene

Wildlife control expert Matt Snorek with Guaranteed Gone Wildlife Control was brought in to handle the situation."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 animal was already aggressive by the time he arrived."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.

Cold Weather and Proper Response

Snorek noted that wildlife entering buildings is more common 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.

He added the resort handled the incident correctly."They did all the right things – they got medical care for the person that was bit. He was taken to the hospital," Snorek said.

The raccoon was captured, euthanized, and 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.

In a statement, 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."