Southern Oregon drive-through animal park loses key national accreditation

Southern Oregon-based Wildlife Safari has been denied accreditation status for the first time in four decades through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

The 600-acre, drive-through animal park was one of three facilities in the U.S. — of 33 reviewed this fall — announced Sept. 29 during the AZA’s Annual Conference in Portland.

Tucked into the tiny burb of Winston, the park has billboards and other advertising positioned up and down the Interstate 5 corridor in Southern Oregon and attracts tens of thousands of visitors from around the Pacific Northwest each year.

As one of two national accreditations, AZA accreditation is considered the more stringent, compared to the Zoological Association of America, and had been previously held by the wildlife drive-through park near Roseburg for over 40 years, according to park officials.

Park representatives declined to offer a statement regarding the loss of accreditation but told the Rogue Valley Times this week that they are working to regain certification and that the loss of accreditation was not related to the level of care provided to animals.

An employee who spoke to the Times but declined to be identified said one of the main reasons for denial of accreditation was a change to AZA standards on cheetah fencing habitat. The employee said fence height was not an issue, but that changes were being made to cantilevers located at the top of cheetah fencing intended to prevent escape.

The employee, who said loss of accreditation had not impacted park attendance, pointed out that the facility had maintained its ZAA accreditation.

In addition to Wildlife Safari, the AZA denied accreditation to Baylor University Bear Habitat in Waco, Texas, and Indianapolis Zoological Society in Indiana. According to a news release, any existing member denied reaccreditation has a 30-day window to appeal to the AZA Board of Directors.

AZA President and CEO Dan Ashe, in the Sept. 29 release, wrote that each new facility accredited by the AZA’s Accreditation Commission “demonstrates how this program helps organizations prepare to meet AZA’s rigorous accreditation standards.”

The accreditation process, according to the AZA release, includes a “detailed application and a meticulous multiple-day on-site inspection by an independent team of zoological and aquarium professionals.

“The inspecting team analyzes all aspects of the facility’s operation, including animal care and wellbeing, veterinary care, staff training, educational programs, conservation efforts, financial stability, risk management, governance and guest services,” Ashe said in the statement.

According to accreditation standards posted to the AZA website, changes between 2022 and 2026 included revisions to elephant management and care; changes to recommendations for developing a facility ambassador animal policy; and new polices on animal program engagement

Keeping Wildlife Wild, an animal welfare advocacy group, challenged claims that accreditation loss was due to fencing and said it had expressed concerns for the past six or more years about the growing cheetah breeding program and public appearances provided, during which the cats are walked on a double leash setup and taken to community events such as local business grand openings or fundraising events.

The park, which opened near Roseburg in 1972 and is officially named Safari Game Search Foundation but does business as Wildlife Safari, hosts a cheetah breeding research center — more than 250 cheetahs have been born at the park since it opened — and an international veterinary medicine program.

Jeff Kremer, an animal welfare advocate with KeepingWildlifeWild.org said his concerns about Wildlife Safari extend beyond enclosure fencing. Kremer has raised concerns over the past decade regarding public safety and animal welfare implications regarding Wildlife Safari’s cheetah breeding and ambassador programs.

Kremer cited examples including “taking leashed cheetahs to breweries, concerts, baseball games, business openings and fundraisers,” as well as the “conservation rationale for the park’s daily $49 cheetah photo opportunities,” which he said did not demonstrate a direct benefit to conservation of animals in the wild.

Kremer pointed out that accreditation standards through AZA are more stringent than through ZAA. Comparison lists also are posted to various sites online.

Contacted by the Times, AZA officials declined to comment specifically on Wildlife Safari, citing confidentiality of the accreditation process.

AZA Vice President Sarah Fedele, responding to a list of general questions, said AZA had not yet been notified whether Wildlife Safari planned to seek AZA accreditation in the future.

“They are still within their window of time to appeal their accreditation decision. If Wildlife Safari chooses to join AZA’s Pathway Toward Membership program, our team would be excited to help them continue to strive for excellence and regain their AZA accreditation status,” Fedele wrote to the Times.

Loss of accreditation with AZA, Fedele confirmed, impacts the ways in which a facility can participate in Species Survival Plan programs.

Kremer applauded AZA’s denial of Wildlife Safari’s accreditation and said he was hopeful to see changes to Wildlife Safari’s ambassador program, including the volume of public appearances for profit.

“I have been voicing concern for years. This is not an anomaly. It is systemic,” Kremer said. “In addition to be able to go on-site and engage in paid photo-opps with Cheetahs at the zoo, the animals are exhibited on leashes for events at breweries, concerts and baseball games. And more.

“It is befuddling. I don’t know how much of Wildlife Safari’s budget is derived from exotic animal encounters, but I would suspect that it is substantial,” he said. “In my view, Wildlife Safari stands apart from other U.S. zoos in the extent to which it uses cheetahs for paid encounters and public appearances.”

From the source Reach reporter Buffy Pollock at 458-488-2029 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @orwritergal.