LOCKPORT, Ill. (AP) - A suburban Chicago wildlife exhibitor is fighting misdemeanor charges for taking his tiger cub to a bar and on a walk in downtown Lockport.
John Basile (BAYZ’-uhl) says he didn’t break the law when he took the leashed 50-pound Siberian tiger named Shere Khan to a bar and on a brief stroll on the way back to his vehicle last month.
Basile says Tuesday that the 5-month-old was in the bar for 15 minutes while Basile promoted an upcoming event at a local school. The cub drank milk from a bottle and took a nap.
The 57-year-old runs Big Run Wolf Ranch, a licensed educational facility that cares for wolves and other large animals that’s about 30 miles southwest of Chicago.
Basile says he’ll appear in court March 28.
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