Success Story

As a child, John Basile loved all kinds of animals. Bringing home injured and orphaned wildlife, he would get them back on their feet and returned to where he found them. John's father put strict limits on his number of pets. As John says, "It took an act of Congress for me to get a dog!" 

In 1986, John purchased a small, secluded farm in Lockport, Illinois now known as "Big Run Wolf Ranch". He began adopting unwanted wolves and other animals, saving them from being euthanized. The facility began to grow. People were coming to see the animals, and to hear John relate the stories of how the animals came to be with him. 

In 1992, a teacher friend of John's asked him to bring a few of the animals to visit her third grade class. She said the school would pay a fee, which would help in feeding the animals. John accepted and then more teachers began asking him to do the same. Soon John was traveling all over to schools, libraries, and scout groups. 

Big Run Wolf Ranch is a 501(c)(3) non-profit federally licensed education facility featuring rescued North American wildlife. Resident ambassadors include: a North American black bear, eleven wolves, a cougar, two lynx, a skunk and many small animals and birds. 

Currently, we are trying to raise funds for our education center. We see approximately 20,000 children each year, and drastically need a building for our programs. Please consider supporting our facility. Thank you.