FILE - Oregon State Police served search warrants at West Coast Game Park Safari in Coos County, Ore., on May 14, 2025. The owner of the zoo has now pleaded guilty to dozens of charges.
Courtesy of Oregon State Police
The owner of a roadside zoo in Coos County has pleaded guilty to dozens of charges after police raided his business last year.
Brian Tenney, owner of West Coast Game Park Safari in Bandon, has pleaded guilty to 47 charges, including 43 counts of animal neglect, following a multi-agency raid on the roadside zoo last year.
Prosecutors have agreed to drop more than 300 additional charges against Tenney. They are recommending a sentence of 90 months in prison, a ban on owning or living with pets and reimbursement to cover the cost of caring for animals seized from the property.
“We’re urging the court to impose the full sentence,” said Cydnee Bence, an attorney for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
She said she hopes the judgment will send a message to those who exploit animals. “There are real consequences for the pain they caused,” she said.
Tenney’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture cited the zoo dozens of times for violations of the Animal Welfare Act. Inspectors reported malnourished animals, filthy enclosures and missing death records.
During the search last spring, police also found drugs, dozens of weapons and over a million dollars in cash. Tenney has also pleaded guilty to delivery of methamphetamine, racketeering and unlawful possession of a machine gun.
“The best part of this is the fact that all of the animals were confiscated and the success stories that we get to see from the sanctuaries where many of the animals now reside,” Bence said.
An isolated chimpanzee named George, who lived at the zoo for more than a decade, is now socializing with other primates at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest in Washington. He celebrated his 22nd birthday earlier this month with plates of fresh fruit.
The jaguar Louie now lives at The Wildcat Sanctuary in Minnesota and is sponsored by the Willamette Valley Jaguars, a professional basketball team that plays in The Basketball League.
Tenney’s sentencing is scheduled for July.
Justin Higginbottom is a reporter with Jefferson Public Radio. This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
It is part of OPB’s broader effort to ensure that everyone in our region has access to quality journalism that informs, entertains and enriches their lives. To learn more, visit our journalism partnerships page.
