Let’s stop sugarcoating this. The West Coast Game Park Safari in Bandon, Oregon, is not a zoo — it’s a decades-long embarrassment where animals suffer for tourist selfies. During my 2022 trip to Bandon, I refused to spend a single dime there, and I stand by that decision. The reports were already out: abuse, neglect, starvation — and the same tired excuse of "family fun" slapped on top of a horror show.
On Thursday, Oregon State Police — backed by local, state, and federal agencies — executed multiple search warrants at the park as part of a criminal investigation into widespread animal welfare violations. What they found was nothing short of heartbreaking.
A young camel was so severely neglected that veterinarians had to euthanize it on-site, declaring that even transporting the animal would have resulted in its death. That’s not just medical failure — it’s proof that this park let animals rot in silence, out of public view, for years.
OSP released images showing a lion with visible ribs and spine, so malnourished it looked skeletal. But this wasn't new. A USDA inspection on April 1 documented two lions and a black African leopard with “decreased muscle mass” and bones clearly outlined beneath their skin. Other reports show animals being fed food stored in bins contaminated with rodent feces, while earlier inspections found "massive" debris piles, rotting hay, and dangerous scrap metal scattered around enclosures — perfect fire hazards waiting to happen.
And then there’s the freezer.
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On January 22, federal inspectors discovered a dead tiger shoved in a freezer, buried under frozen turkeys — the same turkeys being served to other zoo animals. According to the USDA report, the tiger had been there for months. The facility’s staff didn’t even bother to separate the carcass from the food supply.
But the danger wasn’t just for animals. In 2023, the park was slapped with a critical violation after photos surfaced of guests petting a jaguar and a Syrian brown bear — animals capable of killing a person with a single swipe. No barriers, no trained handlers, just pure negligence.
OSP Captain Kyle Kennedy told KOBI5 that officials began receiving complaints from locals and nonprofit groups months ago, prompting what became a lengthy criminal investigation. On Thursday, officers with the Oregon Department of Agriculture, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Oregon Humane Society descended on the park to assess the animals’ physical conditions, water and food supplies, enclosure safety, and more.
Every single animal seized will be relocated to reputable sanctuaries, where they'll receive veterinary care and — finally — a chance at a life not defined by trauma.
For those who are shocked, you shouldn’t be. This park has racked up dozens of USDA violations, some repeated over multiple years. Inspectors warned about unsupervised animals roaming freely, trash-filled habitats, and a near-total absence of pest control. And yet somehow, it was still allowed to operate — still cashing in on tickets while animals suffered behind the scenes.
The West Coast Game Park Safari, established in 1968, claims to let guests “get up close and personal” with exotic animals. That tagline reads more like a threat now.
With the park closed indefinitely and the investigation ongoing, animal advocates are calling for permanent closure — and accountability.
Because when a camel is too far gone to survive a rescue, when a tiger is left to rot in a freezer, and when lions are starving in full view of inspectors… this isn’t just neglect. It’s cruelty with a price tag.
And the only acceptable ending here is justice.
Source: KGW
