Could Arbuckle Wilderness Become Oklahoma’s Next Tiger King Story?

If you grew up in Oklahoma, there's a pretty good chance someone eventually loaded you into the family car and made the drive to Arbuckle Wilderness.

For a lot of us, it was practically a rite of passage.

You'd beg your parents to buy the animal feed only to chicken out when it came time to roll down the windows. Eventually, every kid finds the courage to crack a window, but it disappears the instant those aggressive ostriches shoved their heads in.

Terrifying.

Things usually chilled by the time you got around to letting the giraffes slobber all over your hand. It's a good time.

Core Oklahoma Memories

That's why the latest Arbuckle Wilderness news is such a gut punch.

The USDA has temporarily suspended Arbuckle Wilderness's license after inspectors documented a long list of alleged animal welfare and facility concerns.

It's not a permanent closure, but it could be if the park doesn't correct the issues.

Here's the intrusive Oklahoma thought...

Please don't let this be another Tiger King story.

Now, before anybody grabs a pitchfork, let's be clear. I'm not saying Arbuckle Wilderness is another Joe Exotic situation. They're two very different stories, and it's important not to lump them together.

But it's almost impossible to hear about a federally licensed exotic animal park in Oklahoma facing serious USDA action without your mind naturally wandering back to those days. Oklahoma went viral, and we were more embarrassed than Sooner fans after Round 1 of every College Playoff so far.

In the USDA report, inspectors flagged a number of alleged issues involving animal care, facilities, sanitation, and recordkeeping. The report says some animals lacked adequate shelter from the heat, some enclosures needed repair, and several concerns required "immediate attention.

This is serious.

Hopefully they fix these issues, because I'd hate to see one of Oklahoma's most beloved family attractions end up remembered for animal cruelty. And in today's social environment, I hope people don't automatically hop on the cancellation wagon.

We will all be watching to see what happens to Arbuckle Wilderness over the next few weeks. May they survive.