Anello’s owners sued over animal bite

A personal injury suit was filed last week against the owners of Anello’s Torch Lite in Shawano over an animal bite that occurred at their home in the town of Hartland.

Rita and John Mondus have long featured exotic animals at the Torch Lite and keep some at their residence.

The civil suit filed by Peggy Otto, a neighbor of the couple, claims she was bitten by a ring-tailed lemur while dropping off cucumbers at the Mondus home on Aug. 16.

According to the complaint, Otto checked with John Mondus before dropping off the cucumbers to make sure the couple’s pet lemur, Ringo, would be in his enclosure when she visited the property.

The complaint states Otto was assured the animal would be in his enclosure and she was instructed to leave the cucumbers in a bag on the front steps of the home.

After arriving at the home and leaving her vehicle, Otto saw the lemur running across the yard from the barn toward her, according to the complaint.

The complaint states Ringo immediately bit Otto on her hand, which began gushing blood, and then continued attacking her by lunging at her head and face and preventing her from getting back to her car.

The complaint states the animal continued to terrorize Otto for 10-15 minutes until she was able to reach her car and open the door, at which point Ringo entered the vehicle and Otto was able to close the car door and trap the animal inside.

Otto tried to seek help but there was no one present on the property, according to the complaint.

The complaint states she was eventually able to get Ringo out of the car and get safely inside.

According to the complaint, Otto has no memory of how she was able to get Ringo out of the car or of driving back home, and believes that’s because of being in shock and suffering from heavy blood loss.

According to the complaint, Otto required eight stitches on her hand and had to undergo a series of rabies shots.

The complaint states John Mondus later claimed the lemur was simply defending itself and that Otto was to blame for the attack.

The complaint alleges Rita and John Mondus were negligent in failing to confine the animal despite its history of biting people and the fact it was prone to attack.

The suit does no specify any dollar amount being sought, but seeks damages for medical expenses, pain and suffering, emotional distress, possible permanent injuries, punitive damages and court costs and attorney fees.

The suit alleges the Monduses have an extensive history of neglect, abuse and disregard for the rights of others through the keeping of improperly confined and unvaccinated animals.

It cites numerous occasions reported to Shawano police and the sheriff’s department stretching back to 2005 of animals that had escaped from either Anello’s or the Mondus home.

It also lists animal attacks that include a child attacked by an exotic bird in 2009 that required the child to be taken to the emergency room; a child who had to undergo rabies shots after being bitten by a fox in 2013; and a woman bitten by the same lemur that bit Otto at the Mondus home in 2017.

The Monduses could not be reached for comment.