PHOENIX, Ore. — Longtime animal trainer Brian McMillan and his wife, Vikki, owners of the Walking With Lions sanctuary, announced their departure on their Facebook page Tuesday.
“We are moving the lions back to California this week and I will follow as soon as we sell the property,” their post reads. “It is very sad as I truly love this place and the lions loved it as well. But thank you everyone for your warm thoughts and well wishes.”
The McMillans have been caring for a rare white lion and six tawny lionesses retired from the television and film industry on their property at 1902 Houston Road since last year. In addition to a vacation rental, the McMillans offered public viewings of the lions for a fee under the business name Lion Encounters as a way to pay for the animals’ food and care. That portion of their website at www.walkingwithlions.com has since been taken down.
County Hearings Officer Donald Rubenstein ruled this week that the McMillans could care for the lions on their property but could not use them in commercial endeavors because the land is zoned exclusive farm use.
Commercial activities can occur on exclusive farm use lands as long as they involve “the propagation, cultivation, maintenance and harvesting of aquatic bird and animal species that are under the jurisdiction of the State Fish and Wildlife Commission,” Rubenstein wrote in his ruling.
Lions are not included in the list of animals under the wildlife commission.
“The McMillans’ dedication to their animals is laudable and to be expected,” he wrote. “It is apparent that the care of the lions is both demanding and expensive, and the McMillans’ interest in finding a way to defray the costs is understandable. Using the lions for this purpose is natural, but it cannot be done on EFU land in the manner that they have chosen.”
The McMillans could file a land-use permit application for their commercial venture, county officials said.
Jackson County Commissioner Doug Breidenthal said a commercial operation could potentially be put on the property, but not until the facility goes through a rezoning process.
Breidenthal added the county’s decision follows state land-use laws, which he considers restrictive.
More than 20 residents testified in support of the sanctuary at a hearing before Rubenstein. An online petition supporting the facility at www.change.org garnered nearly 1,800 signatures as of Wednesday.
