State police raided West Coast Game Park Safari in Bendon, Oregon, on Thursday, as the roadside zoo faces allegations of animal mistreatment and neglect.
Years of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports have found that the park’s more than 450 animals live in shocking conditions, citing a dead tiger kept in a freezer for months, starving lions and leopards, rodent infestations, and other serious concerns.
The reports detail dozens of violations—many of which were repeat violations—within the past year alone. During the most recent federal inspection on April 1, officials observed two lions and a black African leopard with decreased muscle mass, “with hips, ribs and spine prominently displayed under the skin.”
The inspectors also cited stark health and safety issues, including feeding bins and storage areas contaminated with rodent feces. A March 18 inspection revealed “massive” amounts of metal, piles of rotting hay, food waste, and other debris surrounding a hay storage barn and an enclosure.
On January 22, investigators discovered a deceased tiger in a freezer with “numerous frozen turkeys laying on top of it.”
“The turkeys are being fed to the zoo animals,” the report states. “The facility representative stated that the tiger has been in the freezer with the food for several months.”
The animals aren’t the only ones being put in harm’s way. In 2023, inspectors cited the park for a “critical violation” after photos posted to social media showed visitors petting a jaguar and a Syrian brown bear—both old enough and large enough to endanger people. USDA reports detailing these and other concerns go back a decade.
Oregon State Police (OSP) officers served multiple search warrants when they arrived on scene Thursday morning, according to a statement. These warrants “are the result of a lengthy criminal investigation into the facility’s operations.”
“It … came to a point where we needed more information and that was only going to come from actually assessing the condition of the park, and so that’s where the warrants came in and that’s what we’re