The owner of a roadside zoo in Oregon has been indicted on more than 300 counts of animal neglect and other charges after police said they found drugs and guns at the facility. Brian Tenney, the owner of West Coast Game Park Safari in Bandon, was arraigned on Monday, the AP reports. Oregon State Police announced earlier this year that authorities served several search warrants at the zoo near the southern Oregon coast in May, following an investigation that included inquiries into the animals' welfare. Police said they found methamphetamine, dozens of firearms, cocaine, and large amounts of cash.
Federal inspectors said the zoo had a long list of Animal Welfare Act violations, including underfed animals and a dead tiger in a freezer, OPB reports. Records for sales and deaths of animals were missing. After the May raid, more than 300 animals were relocated to animal sanctuaries or rescue facilities, and a camel, chicken, and kinkajou were euthanized after being evaluated by veterinarians. A grand jury indicted Tenney on 371 charges—including 327 felonies—on Aug. 19, according to state court records. The hundreds of neglect counts include six counts involving capybaras and 110 involving sheep, per OPB.
The zoo, which had operated since 1968, has now closed. Former employees say there were plenty of red flags suggesting something illegal was going on, reports Jefferson Public Radio. The former zoo workers, who found Tenney's behavior concerning but stayed on because they were worried about the animals, say the business appeared to bring in plenty of cash but the animals were underfed. Former gift shop worker Amanda Zamora says the zoo made thousands from admissions and the gift shop on a busy day but Tenney didn't want a record of the income. "He told me to throw away the receipts and to not write it down," she says. "I thought that was very weird."
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