Animal cruelty charges have been filed against a Riverside County duck rescue operator who surrendered hundreds of animals to authorities in April and then relocated to a San Diego County sanctuary that was raided last week.
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Howard Berkowitz was arrested July 16 by the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office in Valley Center on a criminal warrant based on allegations of animal cruelty lodged by the Riverside County Department of Animal Services. Berkowitz is the owner of the Duck Sanctuary, and he was previously based in Riverside County.
Though he was released from custody, the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office charged him Monday with four counts of felony animal cruelty and four counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty. Prosecutors accused him of inflicting “unnecessary cruelty” upon hundreds of birds, including ducks, geese, turkeys, and Macaws, and three dogs — two Great Pyrenees and a shepherd mix.
Berkowitz has come under fire in recent years for alleged overcrowding and animal neglect, and the Riverside County Department of Animal Services acknowledged in April that it was investigating Berkowitz after discovering “improper husbandry” at his property.
Berkowitz did not respond to a request for comment. Previously, he vehemently denied that his animals were mistreated, arguing “there wasn’t one single sick duck on my property.”
820 birds seized
Over the course of about 12 hours, San Diego County Department of Animal Services seized more than 820 birds and two dogs from the Valley Center property on Lilac Vista Drive after receiving reports that the animals were sick and not receiving proper care. Of the birds removed, 400 were ducks, and other species included geese, roosters, peacocks, pigeons and parrots.
Animal control officers and partner agencies transported the animals to two county shelters for treatment.
“When we arrived, our officers found birds living in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions,” Brie Sarvis, animal services director and chief veterinarian, said in a news release. “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.”
Ashli Shore, a co-founder of the Shore Sanctuary in the Eucalyptus Hills area of Lakeside who has been assisting with the rescue, said about a dozen animals have been hospitalized.
“A lot of the issues that these birds are going to be dealing with chronically all stemmed from very easily treated infections,” said Shore, a veterinary technician. “Unfortunately, because they never received any care, a lot of them are going to have issues long-term.”
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The animals removed from Valley Center were evaluated by veterinary staff last week as San Diego County Animal Services continues its investigation. “Next steps in the enforcement process will be determined as the case develops,” the news release stated.
Riverside rescue
In April, when Berkowitz surrendered 480 ducks at his Anza sanctuary, he acknowledged he had become “overwhelmed,” and he insisted he had turned over the animals on the condition that the ducks would go to a sanctuary. Instead, the Riverside County Department of Animal Services hosted a same-day, “first-come, first-served” adoption event and turned over more than half of the animals to a livestock business in Norco.
Activists were baffled and outraged, saying several sanctuaries had been prepared to adopt the ducks.
“This could have been a really positive situation,” Shore said at the time. “Unfortunately, it was just handled very poorly.” Regardless, Shore said she and other animal rescuers were willing to take in ducks.
Sascha Knopf, an animal advocate behind the Facebook page “The Duck Sanctuary Exposed,” alleged Berkowitz’s neglect had been going on for years, and she shared photographs with the Southern California News Group that purportedly showed mounds of feathers, feces and garbage at one of Berkowitz’s previous properties.
Shore said that over the years, she’d examined a few sick or severely injured animals taken from the Duck Sanctuary.
In April, Berkowitz told the Southern California News Group that he was done with the animal rescue world. He said he planned to take his remaining ducks and move to Northern California, where he would go back to selling classic cars.
“I’m shutting it down, I’m done,” he said. “Make me the criminal, make me the bad guy. I don’t care anymore.”
Instead, he resurfaced in San Diego County.
