Every now and then, we're reminded that the world is not only stranger than we imagine, but stranger than we can imagine. 

Case in point: In Coos County, Oregon, at a place called the West Coast Game Park Safari, Oregon State Police and federal agents responded to months of abuse allegations. They arrived at the facility with a search warrant, but they found a lot more than abused, hungry animals.

More than 300 exotic animals were rescued from a decrepit Oregon zoo after a police raid turned up caches of drugs, guns and more than a million dollars in cash.

The animals — ranging from big cats to chimpanzees and camels — were rescued from West Coast Game Park Safari in Coos County when Oregon State Police and federal agents descended with search warrants following months of abuse allegations.

That's not the real eyebrow-raiser. Oh, that would have been enough for some lengthy jail sentences, as well as drawing the ire of animal lovers everywhere. But the lawmen found more than that.

The raid also revealed signs of a frightening criminal operation within the zoo.

At least 44 guns — including a machine gun — were found, along with 80 grams of methamphetamine and eight grams of cocaine.

Investigators also found about $1.6 million worth of cash, bonds and cashier checks, according to the Coos County Sheriff’s office.

Now, I'm a tad skeptical about the "machine gun," as too many media outlets screech "OMG MACHINE GUN" whenever a firearm has a little black plastic or a Picatinny rail. But that's not really the point; 44 guns, an amount of meth clearly meant for distribution, and $1.6 million? While the animals are starving?

The owner of the "zoo" is now in a cage himself.

West Coast Game Park’s owner — 52-year-old Brian Tenney — was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of possession, manufacturing and attempted distribution of methamphetamine, the Oregonian reported.

All of the animals — including 15 big cats ranging from lions and tigers to leopards, jaguars, bobcats and more — have since been rehomed.

It would be appropriate for the seized cash to go to the care of the animals that were rescued from this awful place. I'm not sure that would or could happen, legally, but anyway, it would be the right thing to do.

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There are zoos, of course, where the animals are cared for scrupulously, their every need met. The St. Louis Zoo, run for some time by Marlin Perkins of "Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom" fame, has a good reputation, or at least it did in the mid-'70s when I visited it. The Denver zoo, likewise. When I met my wife, she was a keeper in a small municipal zoo in a town in western Kansas, and while she admitted it wasn't perfect, the keepers were all dedicated people, and the city was improving the facility over the time she worked there. And one of the best zoos I've ever visited was in Japan, in the Ueno district of Tokyo.

Things like this Coos County, Oregon mess are a pity for more reasons than just the suffering of the animals. They detract from much of the good work reputable zoos do, not only in educating the public about animals they would never see otherwise, but also in preserving and protecting endangered species.

That's a good thing to do. As for Brian Tenney, let's hope he's in a cage himself, for a good long while, along with all of his accomplices. It's no more than they deserve.

Editor's Note: The mainstream media continues to deflect, gaslight, spin, and lie.

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