BANDON, Ore. — The long-troubled West Coast Game Park Safari was raided Thursday morning by Oregon State Police in what animal advocates are calling a long-overdue reckoning.

According to OSP, multiple search warrants were executed at the Bandon-based roadside zoo as part of a criminal investigation into the park’s operations — including alleged violations of animal care, permitting, licensing, and business practices. The investigation involves a sprawling coalition of agencies, from the Oregon Humane Society and Department of Agriculture to the IRS and the Oregon Department of Justice, signaling the case may go well beyond basic welfare violations.

Federal officials also took part in Thursday’s enforcement action, which unfolded while the park remained closed to the public. Authorities have asked the community to avoid the facility while the investigation is active.

For years, locals and animal welfare organizations have raised concerns about the park, calling it a haven of cruelty and neglect thinly veiled as a tourist attraction. Those warnings became increasingly difficult to ignore after a December 2024 inspection by the USDA documented eight direct violations of the Animal Welfare Act.

The report painted a bleak picture of life inside the park:

• A 16-year-old lioness was found confined to a dark, feces-covered den with no heat or ventilation.
• A fishing cat died after falling from a perch — the park never consulted a veterinarian.
• Only one staff member was responsible for the basic care of more than 300 animals.
• Several freezers used for storing food for exotic cats were found completely empty — one contained only a single dead rodent.
• The USDA questioned how long the animals had gone without food or whether they were being rationed.

The facility, which opened in 1968, features exotic animals like lions, capybaras, a bear, and chimpanzees — many of which have long been used for photo ops and direct public interaction, another practice that raised repeated red flags.

In 2024 alone, the park racked up more than 50 violations of the Animal Welfare Act, according to USDA records. It also received an official warning over public safety concerns tied to the way animals were handled around visitors.

“[These animals] deserve to be retired to reputable sanctuaries where they can finally get the care that they desperately need,” said Cydnee Bence of PETA, which has long tracked the park’s violations and even accused its owners of violating the Endangered Species Act through the mistreatment of a chimpanzee.

Oregon State Police said more information will be shared in a follow-up update expected Friday. The park remains closed during the investigation, and officials declined to release further details at this time.

Meanwhile, animal advocates, whistleblowers, and local residents are left wondering the same thing: What took so long?