JOLIET, Ill. (AP) –A suburban Chicago wildlife exhibitor has been sentenced to a year of court supervision and a $500 fine for bringing a tiger cub into a bar in Lockport.
John Basile took the leashed Siberian tiger cub named Shere Khan to the bar on two occasions, in 2013 and 2014. Basile runs Big Run Wolf Ranch, an educational facility that cares for wolves, a bear, and other large animals.
He says he brought the cub to the bar to promote a school fundraiser. But on one of the visits, prosecutors said the animal bit a patron.
The (Joliet) Herald-News reports that Basile acknowledged the facts of the case without admitting guilt or liability. Under a deal, prosecutors dropped more serious charges.
That left a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct.
