( CNN ) -- Time to think up one of those `` a man walked into a bar '' jokes . Because in a Chicago suburb , a man walked into a bar with a tiger recently . That 's right , a real tiger cub -- a fluffy baby about knee-high . And it apparently was n't the first time . John Basile has taken the tiger cub to Uncle Richie 's Bar in Lockport , Illinois , at least one other time , reported CNN affiliate WBBM . Police did n't think it was funny and have filed charges against Basile from disorderly conduct to possession of a dangerous animal for the latest incident . `` My concern was really for the people who frequent the downtown area , '' Lockport Police Chief Terry Lemming the affiliate . The charges are all misdemeanors . Not the first time . As Basile trotted the tiger cub down the street on February 15 , it caused some rubbernecking . Some people seemed to think it was adorable . `` There were people in their cars shouting like , 'Is that a tiger ? Is that a tiger ? ' going over the Ninth Street Bridge , '' Frances Escoe told the affiliate . At least one man took a video . Not everyone at the bar thought the tiger was cute . During a previous visit , the cub reportedly bit a guest . `` While we were looking into possible charges , officers spoke with a woman who claimed the tiger bit her in Uncle Ritchie 's on Dec. 14 , 2013 , '' Lemming told the Joliet Herald-News , a local newspaper . Running a ranch . Basile , 57 , has a familiarity and trust with predators and other wild animals that most people do n't . He has handled them for 25 years , he says on his website for the animal rescue he runs . It 's called Big Run Wolf Ranch and is federally licensed , he says . Basile sports photos of himself cuddling and wrestling with a full grown black bear and links to photos , in which he is handling snakes and wolves . On one of the photos is a Siberian tiger cub named Shere Khan . He holds open houses to show the animals to visitors and to teach them about nature , he says . The affiliate reached out to Big Run for comment , but an employee declined . Why did the elephant cross the road ? To avoid the drunks .
After a man took a tiger out to a bar , police filed misdemeanor charges . The cub has reportedly hit someone in the head before . John Basile , the tiger 's owner , runs an animal rescue .