So a guy walked into a bar with a tiger. ...That's the joke.
But it's true. This isn't some crazy "Hangover" situation — a man in the Chicago suburbs brought a tiger into a bar earlier this month. The tiger was on a leash, but you know — it's still a tiger.
"A man and his tiger out on the town."
"He was thinking he didn't do anything wrong. I think he was kind of drunk though."
"So did police. Earlier that evening, Basile had been spotted inside Uncle Richie's bar, along with his tiger." (Via WBBM)
That's John Basile, who owns Big Run Wolf Ranch in Lockport, Illinois. The non-profit is home to wolves, bears and more and holds events so the public can interact with the animals. But we're guessing nobody thought they'd interact with Basile's tiger at a local pub.
And get this — according to WBBM in Chicago, Basile had been in the bar with the tiger a few months ago — it had even bitten a woman, but she apparently didn't report the incident.
Now, police have their claws in Basile. They've filed disorderly conduct charges and more, according to CNN.
The Joliet Herald-News reports the tiger was a Siberian cub named Shere Khan, and Basile may have taken him into other bars too. Said the local police chief...
"After 32 years in law enforcement, I thought I had seen and heard everything ... Taking your tiger for a walk downtown on a wintry day.”
Fifty-seven-year-old Basile has been handling animals for decades. All of the charges filed against him were misdemeanors.
