‘This hellhole must be shut down’: 310 animals seized from Oregon zoo
Multiple inspections uncovered big cats with protruding bones, a tiger carcass stored alongside food, and a chimpanzee left in isolation following the death of his companion.
Lion in enclosure at West Coast Game Park Safari. May 15, 202. Oregon State Police photo
More than 300 animals from the West Coast Game Park Safari in Oregon have been seized by authorities, as a result of a four-day investigation into animal welfare violations.
Officials say the animals will be relocated to accredited sanctuaries or rescue facilities, though a chicken, a camel, and a kinkajou had to be euthanized due to their poor condition.
A criminal investigation began last fall, according to Captain Kyle Kennedy of the Oregon State Police, leading law enforcement to execute multiple search warrants at the roadside zoo on May 15.
Investigators collected evidence related to animal care, permitting, licensing, and business practices. The operation concluded on May 18 with the removal of the animals.
“We seized 310 animals and we spent four days investigating,” explained Kennedy. “That’s a lot of information that investigators are going to now have to sift through and catalog and really make a determination as to what would be an appropriate arresting charge.”
“The decision to take animals is ultimately based on their physical health or the enclosures that they’re in,” Kennedy added.
The walk-through park has been in operation since 1969, and confines more than 450 animals across 75 species, including Bengal tigers, African leopards, cougars, bobcats, emus, and more, according to its website. It also has a petting zoo area.
The zoo also offers hands-on interactions with baby tigers, lions, and bears, as well as adult animals including bobcats, skunks, and foxes, promoting these experiences as “interactive learning presentations.”
Police vehicles at the safari park during the raid. Oregon State Police
For around a decade, agricultural inspections have documented the animals at the facility in poor condition. More recent USDA reports have noted consistent violations.
A USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection report dated March 18, 2025 cited nine violations, including seven repeat offenses.
As well as visitor safety issues, officials noted serious animal welfare concerns, reporting that “an older lioness, and older lion, and a black African leopard were observed with decreased muscle mass, with hips, ribs, and spine prominently displayed under the skin”.
A subsequent USDA report dated April 1, 2025 documented four repeat violations, including continued neglect of the big cats cited in March, who still had not received veterinary care or evaluation.
The facility’s attending veterinarian stated that West Coast Game Park Safari had not been in contact regarding these animals since the last USDA inspection.
A decade of animal welfare violations
USDA inspection reports dating back to 2015 have documented ongoing animal care violations at West Coast Game Park Safari. These include failing to provide adequate veterinary care for a tiger who died after getting into a fight with another tiger, allowing public contact with a baby bobcat and a juvenile bear, and killing two bears, Sugar and Spice, by gunshot.
Despite receiving a formal federal warning in March 2023, the park continued to operate.
Solitary chimpanzee George at West Coast Game Park. Credit: PETA
The facility has housed a male chimpanzee named George alone without adequate enrichment since the death of his companion, Daphne, in November 2023, according to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). “This likely causes him extreme psychological distress, as chimpanzees are highly social animals who live in large groups in nature,” states the animal rights organization.
During an August 2024 USDA inspection, which found 19 violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act, George was observed facing a wall.
In December 2024, inspectors found that a single staff member was responsible for the care of more than 300 animals.
Investigators reported during a January 2025 visit that employees were storing frozen turkeys for animal meals above a dead tiger. “The (zoo worker) stated that the tiger has been in the freezer with the food for several months,” investigators wrote.
Tiger in a freezer found by the USDA during a January 22, 2025 inspection. Photo obtained by PETA through a FOI Act request.
"For the Oregon State Police, it really started last fall,” said Kennedy. “That took us some time to go through the investigation, really obtain the evidence needed to get to this operation."
PETA has filed numerous complaints against the roadside zoo, including a letter to the Oregon State Police Captain and the Oregon Department of Justice Senior Assistant Attorney General calling for an investigation.
“After years of brazenly flouting bare minimum animal welfare laws, West Coast Game Park Safari must finally face up to the suffering it inflicted on scores of animals it kept confined in filthy, decrepit enclosures,” said PETA Foundation Senior Director of Captive Wildlife Debbie Metzler.
Despite these violations and the criminal investigations, it is not clear if the roadside zoo will be closed permanently. Charges have not yet been filed against the zoo’s owner, Brian Tenney.
“PETA is calling for this hellhole to be permanently shut down, the survivors to get the care they desperately need, and everyone to avoid roadside zoos as if lives depended on it, because they do.”
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