 | This section needs additional citations for verification .(April 2014) |
| Great Cats World Park | |
|---|---|
 Zoo logo | |
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| 42°08′28″N123°39′32″W / 42.141164°N 123.658976°W | |
| Date opened | May 2005 |
| Location | Cave Junction, Oregon, United States |
| Website | greatcatsworldpark |
Great Cats World Park is a privately-owned roadside zoo focusing on big cats. It is located a few miles south of Cave Junction, Oregon, United States.
Great Cats World Park was built on a 10-acre lot bordering the Redwood Highway. The land was purchased in 2003, and the facility opened to the public in 2005.
In September 2007, Great Cats World Park was sentenced by a federal court to one month probation for violation of the Endangered Species Act and fined $10,000. Owner Craig Wagner pleaded guilty in June 2007 to purchasing the park's ocelot for $3,000. There is a near-total ban on ocelot sales in order to discourage the commercialization of the rare animals. [1] The ocelot was purchased from the Isis Society for Inspirational Studies, who were given two years probation and fined $60,000. The ocelot will continue to live at Great Cats World Park. According to Phil Land, the resident U.S. Fish and Wildlife agent in charge, "Sometimes it's actually better to leave them with the people that care for them. Then we don't have to try to find a place for them." [2]
In 2016, a park employee was hospitalized after being bitten in the arm by one of the tigers at the facility. [3] A United States Department of Agriculture spokesperson confirmed that federal complaints against the facility had been filed after four reports of animal bites over the years. [4]
As of 2014, Great Cats World Park is home over 50 cats, which includes 17 different species and subspecies, including cougars, leopards, jaguars, African lions, tigers, fishing cats, and an African wild cat. [5] [6]
Cave Junction is a city in Josephine County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 2,071. Its motto is the "Gateway to the Oregon Caves", and the city got its name by virtue of its location at the junction of Redwood Highway and Caves Highway. Cave Junction is located in the Illinois Valley, where, starting in the 1850s, the non-native economy depended on gold mining. After World War II, timber became the main source of income for residents. As timber income has since declined, Cave Junction is attempting to compensate with tourism and as a haven for retirees. Tourists visit the Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve, which includes the Oregon Caves Chateau, as well as the Out 'N' About treehouse resort and the Great Cats World Park zoo.
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