PETA Statement re West Coast Game Park Safari Owner Sentenced to 7.5 Years in Prison

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Earlier today, West Coast Game Park Safari owner Brian Tenney was sentenced in Coos County Circuit Court after pleading guilty to 47 criminal charges, including 43 charges of animal neglect, on April 20. The charges came after PETA repeatedly reported ongoing neglect at Tenney’s operation to Oregon State Police beginning in 2024 until authorities raided the roadside zoo in May 2025, confiscating 322 animals. Tenney’s sentence comprises seven and a half years of incarceration, three years of post-imprisonment supervision, a 15-year ban on possessing numerous classes of animals, and paying $340,000 in restitution for the cost of care for the animals seized from his now-closed facility from the date of seizure until Tenney surrendered ownership of them.

Please see the following statement from PETA Foundation Managing Director of Captive Wildlife Debbie Metzler:

Brian Tenney deserves every day he spends locked in a cage, but his punishment is still nothing compared to the suffering he inflicted on the animals he starved, neglected, and exploited for his deadly operation. For years, PETA sounded the alarm about conditions at West Coast Game Park Safari, submitted evidence, and pushed authorities to intervene on behalf of the animals trapped there. Today, that persistence has resulted in accountability for Tenney and the rescue of more than 300 surviving animals. PETA commends Oregon State Police for acting on the evidence and helping place these animals at reputable facilities where they will finally get the care they need—and urges everyone to stay away from roadside zoos.

A Eurasian lynx clawing at the door of a tiny, windowless enclosure at West Coast Game Park Safari. Photo: Oregon Department of Justice’s Sentencing Memorandum

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.