Hundreds of birds, including 420 ducks and two dogs, were removed from a Valley Center property Thursday after animal services officers serving a search warrant found the animals living in unsanitary conditions, county officials said Friday.
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The 820 birds, which included ducks, geese, roosters, peacocks, pigeons and parrots, were found at a home on Lilac Vista Drive near Berry Road, county officials said. Authorities had been alerted by Riverside County after the owner relocated to the property sometime last week.
The animals are reportedly owned by The Duck Pond Inc., a nonprofit incorporated in Lake Elsinore. The charity’s website states their mission is to “rescue, rehabilitate and find forever homes for domestic waterfowl who have been dumped and abandoned.”
Animal control officers said they found the animals on Thursday not being properly cared for, with some being found in overcrowded cages with injuries. In some of the cages, investigators said they found birds that had been killed by other birds or left underfed or without access to an adequate water supply.
“There are some that are sickly,” Manny Balcazar, the animal medical operations manager at county Animal Services, said in a video posted Friday. “There’s some that look like they’ve been bullied a little bit by other birds, so they have missing feathers and things like that. But for the most part, the birds seem to be doing OK.”
The animal control officers and partner agencies reportedly spent 12 hours removing the animals and getting them ready to be taken to the county’s Bonita and Carlsbad animal shelters for treatment.
A video of the removal shows animal service officials picking up birds in the outdoor pens, inspecting them and placing them in boxes to be safely transported off the property. The effort appears to have taken dozens of personnel.
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“Responding to an operation of this size takes dedication and teamwork,” said Brie Sarvis, county director and chief veterinarian. “Our staff and partners worked tirelessly to ensure these animals were safe, and we’re now focused on giving each one the care they need to recover.”
The Pasadena Humane Society, Chula Vista Animal Services, County Code Compliance, San Diego County Sheriff’s Office, Riverside County Animal Control and volunteers with Community Animal Response Team assisted with the effort.
The San Diego Humane Society will also be providing veterinary support over the next few days to help manage ongoing care needs.
“We are actually making some corrals for them, giving them a place to live, feeding them, giving them water, and then ultimately trying to find them homes,” said Balcazar. “It’s definitely an upgrade from their last place, so we hope they’re comfortable.”
Local officials said Riverside County was looking to pursue charges against the owner of the birds, and San Diego County was continuing an investigation of its own.
The ongoing care is being supported by the Animal Services Spirit Medical Fund, a program funded by community donations that assists rescued animals with shelter and specialized care.
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