Nearly 500 ducks removed from Riverside County animal sanctuary seeking new homes

About 480 ducks from an animal sanctuary in Riverside County were surrendered to the Riverside County Department of Animal Services on Tuesday, April 14.

The fowl will be available for adoption to the public and rescue groups at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the San Jacinto Valley Animal campus.

“We cannot provide long-term shelter care for this number of animals so it’s important we work quickly to find placement with rescues, adopters and organizations willing to assist this week.” said Kimberly Youngberg, assistant director of the Riverside County Department of Animal Services.

The ducks were surrendered as the result of overcrowding at the property, according to a statement from Animal Services which added that the property owner is cooperating with the department to coordinate placement of the animals.

Animal Services didn’t name the property owner and didn’t say when the investigation started. But Howard Berkowitz of The Duck Sanctuary confirmed the ducks surrendered came from his place.

“I’m overwhelmed. I had 800 ducks. They (Animal Services) agreed to take 400,” Berkowitz said.  “We came to an agreement.”

The department has been aware of the property owner’s intent to maintain an animal sanctuary , but recent investigations revealed the need to remove the animals from the property due to improper husbandry, the statement said.

“Limited assessments show the animals did not receive adequate caretaking,” the statement added.

Before Tuesday’s operation, Animal Services coordinated with the California Department of Food and Agriculture to test a sample of the animals for zoonotic infectious diseases. The results were all negative, the statement said.

Berkowitz said he and the remaining ducks are moving out of Riverside County to Northern California.

“Overcrowding can contribute to stress and decreased immune function,” said Itzel Vizcarra, chief veterinarian for the Riverside County Department of Animal Services. “Inadequate nutrition, particularly Vitamin A deficiency, can impair the lining of the digestive tract, predisposing birds to inflammation and secondary illness.”

Rescue organizations and anyone interested in adopting the ducks can contact the Riverside County Department of Animal Services by emailing shelterinfo@rivco.org. The ducks are available on a first-come, first-served basis and all adoption fees are waived. Adopters are required to bring carriers.