Wildlife Waystation, a longtime sanctuary for lions, Bengal tigers, chimpanzees and other exotic animals, is up for sale and priced at nearly $2.2 million, according to a listing on Redfin.

Redfin’s payment calculator shows a buyer would need to make monthly payments of $10,898 for the 160-acre property, assuming it was purchased with a 30-year loan at a fixed interest rate of 3.79%.

Nestled deep in the Los Angeles National Forest near Sylmar, the animal refuge opened its doors in 1976. Its mission had been to take in animals that were abused, abandoned, orphaned, injured or otherwise unwanted. It was also home to bears, foxes, reptiles and birds.

The facility struggled to stay afloat in recent years due to its aging infrastructure, damage from fires and floods and deferred maintenance that prevented the sanctuary from being brought up to code.

The aging facility survived multiple fires and flood through the years, but was extensively damaged in the 2017 Creek Fire and again as a result of extreme flooding in early 2019, which required insurmountable funding to meet current operating standards.

The sanctuary once offered tours for school children, but it closed its doors to visitors in 2001 when county regulators ordered its operators to widen roads and upgrade the water and sewer systems.

Internal staffing shifts

The animal refuge also endured an internal shakeup.

The board of directors on July 28 fired Chief Operating Officer Matthew Simmons after 70 days on the job, the facility said in an Aug. 16 statement. The board also asked for the resignation of board member David Bruyette, citing “non-approved and non-authorized transactions and actions by staff deemed detrimental to the overall health of the 501c3.” Veterinarian Rebecca Richard also resigned.

On Aug.11, the Waystation’s board of directors voted to close the facility and surrender its permit to operate as an animal sanctuary to the California Department Fish & Wildlife. Both parties are working to place the animals in other wildlife facilities.

Redfin’s listing says the property includes an early 20th century, two-bedroom, three-bath lodge, trails, animal enclosures, a pond, an office building, a veterinarian hospital and an old movie set.

Potential buyers?

Two parties have already expressed interest in buying the property, according to Champ Davenport, a Realtor with Keller Williams Larchmont, who is helping market the Waystation.

“I just listed it today and I already got a call from a former client who saw it and is looking for location for a glamping site,” Davenport said Tuesday. “The site is fantastic, but it comes with challenges. You’d have to be zoning savvy to go through the process and get permission to have an enterprise like that.”

Another potential buyer who lives in Africa has also expressed interest, Davenport said.

“The husband is a wealthy telecom person who bought his wife a 1,000-acre animal preserve in Africa,” he said. “She had that for 18 months, and when the preserve next door became available he bought that for her, too. Now it’s a 2,000-acre preserve.”

If they purchased the property it could conceivably remain an animal sanctuary, Davenport said.

Jerry Brown, not to be confused with California’s former governor, formerly handled publicity for the Waystation. He touted its location Tuesday.

“It’s a beautiful site surrounded by mountains and blue sky,” he said. “I imagine there’s someone out there who would be a perfect fit for it.”

Waystation founder Martine Colette was responsible for rescuing more than 77,000 animals before she retired in May.

“I am devastated and heartbroken,” Colette said in a recent statement. “However, the focus is on what is best for the animals. We need to do the right thing for our residents.”

In August, the state said it could take up to a year before all of the animals are relocated.

Staff writer Elizabeth Chou contributed to this report.