Lions and tigers and meth, oh my!
More than 300 exotic animals were rescued from a decrepit Oregon zoo after a police raid turned up caches of drugs, guns and more than a million dollars in cash.
The animals — ranging from big cats to chimpanzees and camels — were rescued from West Coast Game Park Safari in Coos County when Oregon State Police and federal agents descended with search warrants following months of abuse allegations.
Recent inspection reports for the 21-acre park described conditions ranging from malnourishment and contaminated food to improper animal housing — but what officials found during their May 15 raid was far worse, KATU 2 reported.
A dead tiger was found stuffed in a freezer, proud lions were undernourished and gaunt, while food supplies were found riddled with vermin and feces — and a chimpanzee was caged alone in a situation a PETA likened to “keeping a human in solitary confinement.”
The raid also revealed signs of a frightening criminal operation within the zoo.
At least 44 guns — including a machine gun — were found, along with 80 grams of methamphetamine and eight grams of cocaine.
Investigators also found about $1.6 million worth of cash, bonds and cashier checks, according to the Coos County Sheriff’s office.
“You’re sitting here with a stockpile of cash instead of feeding your animals,” local community member Nichole Johnson told KATU 2 after details of the raid came out.
West Coast Game Park’s owner — 52-year-old Brian Tenney — was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of possession, manufacturing and attempted distribution of methamphetamine, the Oregonian reported.
All of the animals — including 15 big cats ranging from lions and tigers to leopards, jaguars, bobcats and more — have since been rehomed.
But a camel, a tropical kinkajou and a chicken had to be euthanized.
The raid was the culmination of a months-long investigation, but recent complaints are just the latest against the park since it opened in the 1960s.
In 2015, US Department of Agriculture inspectors cited the park over “a possible pattern of personnel not performing adequate daily assessment of animal health,” records reviewed by the Oregonian show.
West Coast Game Park has been shut down since the raid.