Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo welcomes 9 animals from OR safari neglect case
SEATTLE - Woodland Park Zoo welcomed animals that were recently seized from an Oregon wildlife and safari park during an animal neglect investigation.
What we know:
The zoo has taken in three llamas and six African crested porcupines after West Coast Game Park and Safari in Bandon, OR, was raided by police on May 18, and had 322 animals seized, and three euthanized, as part of a suspected neglect case.
African crested porcupines at Woodland Park Zoo (Photo courtesy of Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren | Woodland Park Zoo )
The animals will receive care and housing at the Woodland Park Zoo as the animal neglect case continues to move forward.
Standard procedure for new animals will have the llamas and porcupines under veterinary observation and quarantine.
The llamas will be quarantined together in a grassy yard near the Wildlife Theater and may be visible to guests on the Main Loop Path. The porcupines will be quarantined together in a habitat out of public view.
Woodland Park Zoo is only temporary for these animals, and a permanent home for them will be determined after the conclusion of the case.
The backstory:
Two Woodland Park Zoo Animal Care team staff members traveled to Oregon twice to transport the llamas and porcupines to their temporary home in Seattle.
The zoo is a member of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA), which accredits organizations that meet the highest standards of animal care.
Additionally, Woodland Park Zoo joined a new partnership with the Wildlife Confiscation Network – created by the AZA to support federal agencies seizing trafficked wildlife – making it a trusted animal care facility that can provide immediate housing for confiscated animals like the llamas and porcupines.
The Oregon Humane Society continues to update information on the ongoing case.
The Source: Information in this article is from the Woodland Park Zoo and the Oregon Humane Society.
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