More than 800 birds rescued from Valley Center property

More than 800 birds and two dogs have been removed from a Valley Center property following reports of neglect, San Diego County’s Animal Services announced Friday.

The 820 birds — including 400 ducks — were removed from the property Thursday. County animal services officers were tipped off by their counterparts in Riverside County after the property owner moved to Valley Center.

After obtaining a search warrant for the property in the 11200 block of Lilac Vista Drive, officers spent about 12 hours removing the animals and transporting them to the county’s Bonita and Carlsbad animal shelters for treatment.

All the animals have been removed, a county statement reads.

“Responding to an operation of this size takes dedication and teamwork,” said Dr. Brie Sarvis, director of county animal services and chief veterinarian. “When we arrived, our officers found birds living in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions. 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.”

Pasadena Humane, Chula Vista Animal Services, County Code Compliance, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office and Riverside County Animal Control all provided support for the removal of the animals.

Among the birds rescued were ducks, geese, roosters, peacocks, pigeons, parrots and “possibly additional species,” the county statement read.

Each animal is being evaluated by veterinary staff. San Diego Humane Society will also be providing veterinary support over the next few days to help manage ongoing care needs.

According to the county, the ongoing care of the large number of birds will be supported by the Animal Services Spirit Medical Fund, which supports animals arriving at county shelters with serious medical needs or complicated circumstances.

The public can help by donating to the fund at https://www.sddac.com/content/sdc/das/donate-volunteer/donate.html. Every dollar donated to the Spirit Fund goes directly to animal care — none is used for administrative costs, the county says.

Animal Services will continue to investigate, and next steps in the enforcement process are yet to be determined.