Chimpanzee rescued from troubled Oregon Coast safari park quarantining in Washington

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A chimpanzee seized from a troubled animal park along the Oregon Coast now has a new home in Washington.

Cle Elum’s Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest has revealed it rescued West Coast Game Park Safari’s “George” on May 15. The facility said the 21-year-old chimpanzee was the first animal removed from the site near Bandon during law enforcement’s four-day operation that

ended in the seizure of 310 creatures.

According to Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, the Oregon animal park’s lack of an enrichment program for George prompted one of several welfare citations it received from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. One of the federal agency’s inspection reports from October 2024 claimed the more-than-100-pound great ape “is vulnerable when his special needs as a chimpanzee are not addressed leading to breakdown of his psychological well-being.”

He is now quarantined from 15 other chimpanzees, nearly three weeks after being sedated and transported to the new facility with the help of Oregon State Police and the Oregon Humane Society. Although the Washington sanctuary isn’t open to the public, staff members are updating people on George’s whereabouts on their blog.

Apparently, he’s an “inquisitive” chimpanzee who loves snacks like grapes, bell peppers and protein smoothies.

“We are grateful to our supporters who have built this sanctuary from the ground up, enabling us to help chimpanzees like George in their time of need,” Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest Co-Director Diana Goodrich said in a release. “We are delighted by the response to our updates on our blog and other social media from those who live on the Oregon Coast and have met George at the roadside zoo over the years. It’s heartening to learn how many people are interested in George’s future.”

A previous blog post claimed the chimpanzee posed for photos at a casino and appeared in a long-running German television show before being transferred to West Coast Game Park Safari in 2011. He replaced another male great ape who was taught how to smoke a cigarette, according to the Washington sanctuary.

The Bandon Police Department arrested the owner of the Oregon animal park on May 27. Authorities said meth, cocaine and guns were also seized from the property.