MADISON (AP) - A man has filed a $140 claim against Dane County because, he said, a chimpanzee at the Henry Vilas Zoo lobbed a piece of ape dung at him.
Scott Retzlaff of Fort Atkinson said the feces hit him in the face, ruined his shirt and covered a baby stroller. The incident occurred May 22 when he was visiting the zoo with his wife and sons, ages 4 and 9 months, Retzlaff said in a letter to County Clerk Joe Parisi this week.
The claim, which requires approval by the Count Board, asks for replacemnt of the stroller, his T-shirt, baby rattles, teethers, a cup and a baby blanket. Retzlaff said his wife was holding the baby at the time.
In the letter, Retzlaff said he believes the male chimpanzee was provoked by the yelling of other zoo visitors.
"He hit the fence and threw what we thought was dirt,"Retzlaff said in the letter. "Once I looked down, I realized I was covered in feces. My wife instantly grabbed our older son's arm and yelled at me to take my shirt off. I was mortified."
The $140 "doesn't even begin to cover the time lost or humiliation suffered from this incident," Retzlaff wrote. "We are not asking for the world, only to have our baby's items replaced."
