Brian Tenney, the owner of West Coast Game Park Safari just outside Bandon on the Oregon Coast, is now facing prison time after admitting to a long list of crimes tied to his troubled roadside zoo. On Monday, the 53-year-old pleaded guilty to 47 criminal charges, a package that includes 43 counts of animal neglect along with drug, weapons and racketeering charges, according to KOIN. Tenney is scheduled to be sentenced on July 20, 2026.
The plea deal follows a sweeping 2025 investigation that removed hundreds of animals from the park and pulled years of federal inspection reports into the spotlight, documenting substandard conditions that had quietly stacked up over time. Hoodline previously reported on authorities executing search warrants at the park during the May 2025 operation.
May 2025 raid and seizures
The May 2025 operation, led by Oregon State Police with help from local, state and federal partners, was far from a routine inspection. Investigators reported finding roughly 80 grams of methamphetamine, about 8 grams of cocaine, 44 firearms and about $1.6 million in cash, cashier's checks and securities. At the same time, authorities relocated 310 animals to accredited sanctuaries and euthanized three animals that veterinarians determined were too sick to recover, according to The Associated Press.
Inspection reports and conditions
Federal inspection records stretching back years had already painted a grim picture of life inside the park. Inspectors documented repeat and worsening violations, including big cats so underweight that ribs and muscle wasting were visible, contaminated or empty food freezers and chronic staffing shortages that left hundreds of animals without adequate daily care, according to USDA inspection documents.
Local reporting later highlighted one especially disturbing detail: a deceased tiger found stored in a freezer with frozen turkeys stacked above its body, a scene that underscored just how severe the neglect had become, the Portland Tribune reported.
A Coos County grand jury followed the raid with a massive 371-count indictment in August 2025, charging Tenney with hundreds of counts of animal neglect alongside drug, weapons and racketeering allegations, according to court records. Prosecutors say Tenney's April guilty pleas resolve a portion of that indictment and leave the question of punishment for a July sentencing hearing, per reporting by AP.
Animals rehomed and reactions
Most of the animals removed from West Coast Game Park Safari have since been transferred to accredited rescue groups and sanctuaries. The Oregon Zoo and other institutions stepped in to provide temporary care while agencies cataloged the animals and decided where each would be rehomed or placed for the long term, according to reporting by OPB.
Animal-welfare advocates who had spent years filing complaints about conditions at the park say the guilty pleas are a long-awaited moment of accountability, but they are not exactly celebrating. Many argue that it should never have taken this long or this level of crisis to intervene and are again calling for tougher and more consistent enforcement of federal standards.
The case has also reignited scrutiny of how the USDA oversees roadside zoos in general. Records show a pattern of inspections that produced limited lasting penalties even as problems mounted, prompting fresh calls for policy changes from advocates and some lawmakers. With sentencing set for July 20, 2026, prosecutors and welfare groups will be watching closely to see whether criminal penalties, combined with civil enforcement, are enough to prevent similar situations in the future, a question Current Affairs has explored in examining the broader regulatory gaps around roadside zoos.
