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Nearly 500 ducks removed from Riverside County animal sanctuary

April 15, 2026

About 480 ducks from an animal sanctuary in Anza 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.

About 480 ducks from a sanctuary in Riverside County were surrendered to the Riverside County Department of Animal Services on April 14, 2026. The ducks will be available for adoption on April 15, 2026. (Photo courtesy of the Riverside County Department of Animal Services)

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The property owner, Howard Berkowitz, surrendered the ducks due to overcrowding at the property and his request for assistance to find placement, said Veronica Perez, spokeswoman for the department.

Berkowitz runs the Duck Sanctuary.

Based on Animal Services’ initial assessment of the ducks brought into the shelter Tuesday, Perez said there are no significant findings. As part of the investigation into the welfare of additional waterfowl, she said the department is investigating the scale of overcrowding on the property.

“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.

In March, the department seized a sample of ducks to test for infectious illness based on information it received from an informant, and received negative results, Perez said.

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.

Editor’s clarification; A previous version of this story included a headline that did not reflect the precise nature of the action taken with regard to the ducks. They were surrendered to Riverside County officials.

Nearly 500 ducks removed from Riverside County animal sanctuary Orange County Register

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Nearly 500 ducks removed from Riverside County animal sanctuary

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