A Year Later, They’re Thriving: Meet the Monkeys Saved From West Coast Game Park Safari
A year ago, five monkeys—baboons Zeus, Calliope, and Monet, and vervets Bear and Blue—lived in dismal enclosures at the now-shuttered West Coast Game Park Safari in Oregon. Another roadside zoo dumped them there after it shut down in 2024. Photos from 2025 show the baboons sitting in tiny gravel pens, while the vervets languished in small cages with concrete floors.
Today, their lives look completely different.
Thanks to PETA’s assistance in facilitating the monkeys’ transfer after law enforcement led the massive confiscation, the five monkeys now live at the Born Free USA Primate Sanctuary in Texas. At Born Free USA—which is accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries—they finally have space to roam, more opportunities for companionship, and the freedom to behave like the intelligent, active, and social individuals they are.
Meet the Baboons: Zeus, Calliope, and Monet
At Born Free USA, Zeus, Calliope, and Monet now live with a group of baboons who were also rescued from another roadside zoo in Iowa several years ago. Their new habitat is expansive and naturalistic, filled with trees, grass, and opportunities to forage—worlds away from the barren pens they once knew.
Zeus is now the calm, steady leader of the group, embracing his new peaceful sanctuary life.
Often photographed with her cheeks full of fresh, healthy food, Calliope spends her days surrounded by open fields instead of chain-link fences.
Monet has become close friends with an older male named Marlin, and the two can often be seen playing together and climbing trees in their lush sanctuary habitat.
Meet the Vervets: Bear and Blue
Bear and Blue are thriving, too.
Outgoing and curious from day one, Bear quickly joined a large group of rescued vervets at the sanctuary, where she now spends her days exploring, playing, and choosing her own relationships.
Initially shy, Blue has also blossomed into a social butterfly, matching Bear’s energy and confidence.
How Their Rescue Became Possible
The monkeys’ transformation is part of a much larger PETA victory. In May 2025, after we alerted Oregon authorities that West Coast Game Park Safari had been neglecting, starving, and confining animals to filthy, decrepit enclosures, law enforcement officials executed multiple search warrants at the dilapidated roadside zoo.
And our hard work paid off: Officials ultimately removed 322 animals from the property and ensured their safe transport to reputable facilities across the country, where they would finally receive nourishing diets, veterinary care, enrichment, and species‑appropriate habitats—all the things West Coast Game Park Safari had denied them for so long.
Next came accountability. In April 2026, West Coast Game Park Safari’s owner pleaded guilty to 47 criminal charges—including 43 counts for neglecting the animals he held captive at his now-defunct operation.
The prosecutor has recommended he serve 7.5 years in prison and pay full restitution to cover the costs of caring for the 322 animals from the time they were seized until they were formally surrendered. PETA is hopeful the court will impose the maximum possible penalty.
Why Their Story Matters
We’re thrilled that these five monkeys are now living their best lives at Born Free USA—forming friendships, roaming natural habitats, and finally experiencing the social richness that defines who they are. But West Coast Game Park Safari was just one roadside zoo. We helped shut it down, and now we must keep working so that others like it follow suit.
Because no one wants to live in a cage—and our fellow animals are not here for human amusement.
Take action against roadside zoos and help ensure that every animal suffering in a desolate enclosure can have the same chance at freedom and care that these five monkeys finally received.
