310 animals removed from Coast Game Park Safari Oregon ( US ) after many years of complaints from visitors of neglect, lack of food, water and veterinary care

 Note: Content and images of sickly or dead animals in this article may upset some readers.

On May 18, investigators finished a four-day search at the West Coast Game Park Safari, resulting in the seizure and relocation of 310 animals to accredited sanctuaries and rescue facilities. KATU News has reached out to Oregon State Police ( OSP ) for more information regarding the relocation.

"It would be nice if it didn't reopen, it should shut down completely." said Arianna Lopez, a concerned member of the community. "In one of the inspection reports a few years ago, they found a dead tiger in the freezer."

Lopez's claim has been confirmed by a routine inspection done at the safari on Jan. 22 of this year.

The operation, led by OSP in collaboration with local, state, and federal partners, was part of a lengthy criminal investigation into the facility's operations.

During the search, a chicken and a kinkajou were euthanized due to their physical condition, in addition to a camel euthanized earlier in the investigation.

"Animal care has been a primary consideration during the investigation," said the Oregon State Police. Veterinary staff evaluated dietary needs and provided fresh feed for each species, with the Oregon Humane Society purchasing food.

The Oregon Humane Society told KATU News that while they are unable to disclose more information regarding the seizures and relocations at this time, the operation would not have been possible without the collaboration of all the agencies involved.

The safari is not accredited by the Association of Zoos and Museums, but three other zoos in Oregon are.

“So for the Oregon State Police, it really started last fall. That took us some time to go through the investigation, really obtain the evidence needed to get to this operation," said Kyle Kennedy, an Oregon State Police trooper.

Veterinarians diagnosed one camel at the West Coast Game Park Safari in Coos County with "multiple serious medical conditions" and noted it was "suffering." Considering transport would likely result in death, authorities decided "humane euthanasia was the appropriate option."

In a 2015 inspection report, an inspector wrote, "This and the previous inspection are indicating a possible pattern of personnel not performing adequate daily assessment of animal health and communicating that information to supervisors and the attending veterinarian."

The park received an official warning of violations of federal laws in March of 2023, but evidently continued to operate.

A Dec. 2024 USDA inspection stated the safari had only one staff member to care for over 300 animals, which inspectors deemed insufficient. A representative from the park said at the time that several recent hires were not a sufficient fit for the park, and the challenge of finding help in the area was significant.

Before the OSP investigation this month, the most recent inspection happened in April, with an inspector writing that two older lions, male and female, and a black African leopard were seen with "decreased muscle mass with hips, ribs, and spine prominently displayed under the skin."

The inspector wrote that this was a persistent issue that had not been evaluated or treated by a veterinarian to diagnose the source of the decrease in body condition.

Other troubling findings in past reports include the finding of big cats with ribs showing, rodent droppings in food, and problems with enclosures.

In Feb. of this year, KATU News reached out to a spokesperson at the USDA with questions regarding the various violations and the lack of action.

The spokesperson said at the time they were unable to provide additional information outside the available public records, and that the agency will "continue to inspect this facility at a frequency determined by compliance history to ensure any previously documented non-compliances are corrected and to ensure that AWA-regulated animals are protected to the fullest extent of Federal law."

The park has come under scrutiny many different times over the years by different organizations. PETA has a petition online to shut the safari down, as well as ForceChange.

Oregon's WildCat Ridge Sanctuary asked on their website for people to not support the facility.

"A rundown Bandon roadside zoo"

PETA released different statements in 2024 regarding the park, calling it a "rundown Bandon roadside zoo."

The organization sent a letter to the Oregon State Police Captain and the Oregon Department of Justice Senior Assistant Attorney General in Oct. of last year, calling for an investigation.

PETA Foundation Senior Director of Captive Wildlife Debbie Metzler gave KATU News a statement on the investigation, saying, "After years of brazenly flouting bare minimum animal welfare laws, West Coast Game Park Safari must finally face up to the suffering it inflicted on scores of animals it kept confined in filthy, decrepit enclosures," the statement said.

"PETA is calling for this hellhole to be permanently shut down, the survivors to get the care they desperately need, and everyone to avoid roadside zoos as if lives depended on it, because they do."

Coos County Sheriff Gabe Fabrizio said they received complaints and reports about the conditions at the safari, but were unable to handle it sufficiently due to a lack of resources. "Our limited resources and our size, just logistically, we weren’t able to handle it ourselves."

"There's no way we had enough manpower or other resources to do it. So, thankfully, OSP stepped in with their investigation and they coordinated this massive response with just so many different agencies, local, state, federal, all these agencies," said Fabrizio

According to press release sent by OSP, all the organizations involved with the investigation evaluated animal welfare on scene. "This assessment includes an animal’s physical condition, food quality, water supply, sanitation, enclosure conditions, and care sufficient to preserve their health and well-being."

KATU News reached out to West Coast Game Park Safari on May 16, awaiting response.

The park remains closed, and community members are advised to avoid the area.

PAST COVERAGE: Camel euthanized as authorities evaluate, relocate animals from Oregon safari park

The Oregon Humane Society, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Oregon Department of Agriculture were involved in assessing the animals' welfare, focusing on their physical condition, food quality, water supply, and enclosure conditions.