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Activists have raised concerns in California after hundreds of rescued ducks were handed over to adopters without proper vetting. Among the recipients were a man reportedly interested in cockfighting and a livestock company, sparking controversy.
The Riverside County Department of Animal Services (RCDAS) took charge of 480 ducks on April 14, after they were surrendered by a property owner in the unincorporated area of Riverside County.
Prior to the mass rescue, Animal Control Officers had been conducting inspections as part of an ongoing investigation. The property owner relinquished the ducks due to overcrowding issues, RCDAS reported.
“This extensive operation demands meticulous coordination within our department, and our top priority is ensuring the safe transport and intake of these animals today,” explained Dr. Kimberly Youngberg, Assistant Director at RCDAS.
Dr. Youngberg further emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating, “We cannot provide long-term shelter for such a large number of animals, making it crucial for us to swiftly find placements with rescues, adopters, and organizations willing to assist this week.”
Two days later, RCDAS announced on Facebook that all the ducks had been rescued or adopted, after making them available on a first-come, first-served basis and waiving all fees.
One man whose Facebook profile lists multiple references to cockfighting said he got 11 of the ducks.
A business named Matt’s Livestock got 270 of the birds and began selling them on Facebook for $15 each, The Orange County Register reported.
Almost 500 ducks rescued from a property in California earlier this month were allegedly given away to unvetted adopters
Two days after Riverside County Department of Animal Services rescued the birds, the agency said all of them have been rehomed
A man from the business, who identified himself as Matt, told the newspaper that he does not vet his customers.
‘I do not do any screenings,’ he said. ‘I run a livestock business.’
Animal activists quickly expressed concern that the ducks had been given to the wrong people.
‘Personally not happy when I found out the process of how they will just give it away, God knows how many what it ended up on someone’s plate,’ one person wrote on Facebook.
‘I don’t know why you are patting yourselves on the backs, this case was handled atrociously,’ wrote another.
‘These ducks moved from one horrible situation right into another. Allowing someone to take 300 ducks only for them to be immediately listed for sale is not rescue. You just handed them out like candy on Halloween not caring who they went too.’
A third person wrote, ‘And how many of them are on the dinner table tonight?’
‘This is disturbing, mass adopting of birds without caring if they are just going to another problem situation is irresponsible,’ added a fourth.
Activists say the birds were given to livestock sellers and a man who has an affinity for cockfightingÂ
RCDAS took possession of 480 ducks surrendered by a property owner in unincorporated Riverside County on April 14
It is unclear if any background checks were done on the duck adopters.Â
RCDAS told the newspaper they had to rehome the ducks quickly because it was ‘in the best interest of the animals,’ given that the surrender was ‘the largest single intake for the department in over a decade.’
‘Given our inability to provide long-term care for that many animals, we urgently acted to secure placement through rescue and adoption, leaning on the public to give the animals a different outcome than the overcrowded conditions they came from,’Â public information officer Veronica Perez said.
‘Urgency was of the essence in order to not impact the planned large-scale intake or impede the ongoing investigation.’Â
The Daily Mail contacted the Riverside County Department of Animal Services for comment.