Police descended on a wildlife park near Bandon on Thursday, the Oregon State Police said.

The move came after years of agricultural inspections documented animals in poor condition and other concerns.

Local, state and federal officers “served multiple search warrants” as part of a monthslong investigation into West Coast Game Park Safari’s operations, which have come under increasing scrutiny in the last year for alleged animal mistreatment and neglect, according to the state police and United States Department of Agriculture records.

The Coos County wildlife park and petting zoo has racked up dozens of violations across several federal inspections in the past year.

In that time, USDA inspectors have identified numerous health and safety issues at the park. These include rotten fruit in food bins, animal bones and feces piled behind buildings, animals showing signs of disease or underfeeding, a lion being confined to a den with no light, sharp edges on fences and rats running around food preparation areas, written reports show.

After a visit to the 21-acre property last December, a USDA inspector stated that a 10-year-old lion was “poorly conditioned with ribs showing, spine visible, jutting hip bones and muscle wasting.” The inspector also reported that a 15-year-old black leopard was “quite thin, with rib shadowing, and noticeable muscle wasting of his head and body.”

Multiple animals — including a coatimundi and a capybara — have shown signs of disease or had died without being seen by the facility’s attending veterinarian, according to a Jan. 22 inspection report. Investigators also reported during the visit that employees were storing frozen turkeys for animal meals above a dead tiger.

“The (zoo worker) stated that the tiger has been in the freezer with the food for several months,” investigators wrote.

USDA inspections chronicling such concerns go back almost a decade.

In 2015, a report noted several health issues with the wildlife park’s animals, and observed that similar problems had been apparent during an inspection earlier that year. The findings indicated “a possible pattern of personnel not performing adequate daily assessment of animal health,” the inspector concluded.

Other incidents also have cropped up at the wildlife park and petting zoo.

In 2016, staff shot and killed two black bears, named Sugar and Spice. A federal inspector reported that Sugar charged an electric fence after a car backfired. Afraid that the bear would escape and hurt people, West Coast Game Park Safari employees decided to shoot her — but the bullet ricocheted and maimed Spice, USDA records state. After successfully killing Sugar, zookeepers shot and killed the wounded Spice to “end his suffering,” inspectors concluded.

And in 2023, a USDA inspector found that the park had committed a “critical” violation by allowing visitors to pet a juvenile jaguar and a Syrian brown bear that were both old enough and large enough to endanger the public.

“When I read all the USDA reports going back to 2016, it was amazing to think that we care about the welfare of [people], but when it comes to animals, the entire state turns a blind eye,” said Julie Krisic, a Coos County resident who has been concerned about the wildlife park for years.

Krisic expressed surprise that it had taken so long for authorities to act.

West Coast Game Park Safari has been a unique local attraction for more than half a century.

The wildlife park began as a small roadside attraction in 1968 before Bob and Mary Tenney expanded it, according to the business’ website. Their son, Brian Tenney, took over as owner in 2009. He could not be reached for comment on Thursday, but a call to the phone of a family member was answered by a woman who said “we don’t have anything to say right now and we don’t even know what’s going on.”

The park, located off U.S. 101 just south of Bandon, has more than 400 animals and is perhaps best known for offering up-close encounters with lions, tigers, foxes and other wild animals.

Many people enjoyed their visits over the years. “The park was clean and the animals looked to be taken care of,” one person wrote in a November 2023 online review. “It’s not a huge zoo with lots of space for the animals but well worth the stop.”

But the reviews in the past year have turned overwhelmingly negative. “This place is brutal. The cages are too small and the animals seemed lifeless,” one reviewer wrote in December 2024. “I feel horrible for giving them my money.”

Such concerns prompted animal-activist groups to take action. Last October, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals — commonly known as PETA — sent a letter to the Oregon State Police’s fish and wildlife division, asking it to open an investigation of the facility.

Oregon State Police launched an investigation into the zoo with the assistance of other agencies, including the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Oregon Humane Society, Oregon Department of Agriculture, Coos County Sheriff’s Office, Oregon Department of Justice and the Internal Revenue Services’ Criminal Investigation unit.

The state police did not say when it opened the investigation, but said the results led to Thursday’s search of the property.

Authorities have not announced any arrests, or disclosed any plans for the animals at the zoo.