Oregon State Police said they began an investigation into animal neglect at the West Coast Game Park Safari in the fall with help from local, state and federal agencies.
One partner assisting in the effort was the Oregon Humane Society, which runs one of the nation鈥檚 only animal forensics centers. The non-profit, which also has its own law enforcement agents due to a , served one of the search warrants at the roadside zoo in Bandon on May 15.
鈥淥ne of the things that really makes Oregon unique is we have Humane Law Enforcement officers here, who are commissioned by the Oregon State Police, and we have that forensic center,鈥� said Laura Klink with the Oregon Humane Society. 鈥淲e're the only state in the country that has both of those things.鈥�
Klink said OHS agents are trained in collecting evidence of animal abuse and neglect. The organization sent a law enforcement agent and a forensic veterinarian to West Coast Game Park Safari when authorities searched the facility. The Oregon Humane Society also received several animals at their forensics center in Portland. Klink said evidence OHS collects can be crucial in building a case for prosecutors.
鈥淥ur chief of law enforcement likes to say, 鈥業f you don't have a veterinary report, you don't have a case,鈥欌�� Klink said. 鈥淎nimals can't tell us what happened to them.鈥�
The Oregon Humane Society it investigated over 500 cases of suspected animal abuse in 2023, resulting in 12 criminal cases. Klink said the organization鈥檚 animal forensic center is used by out-of-state agencies as well. The only other center of its kind is in Florida.
There are only two universities 鈥� the University of Florida and Cornell University 鈥� that offer advanced degrees in veterinary forensics. Klink called the training an 鈥渆merging and growing specialty within the veterinary field.鈥�
Police ended up seizing and relocating hundreds of animals from West Coast Game Park Safari. In the last year alone, United States Department of Agriculture inspectors cited the zoo 78 times for issues of non-compliance related to animal welfare.
No charges have yet been filed against the zoo鈥檚 owner, Brian Tenney.
