County officials seized 820 birds from a Valley Center man’s property following lack of care accusations linked to his former Riverside County duck sanctuary.
VALLEY CENTER, Calif. — A Valley Center man accused of neglecting hundreds of birds in Riverside County has now had 820 birds seized from his new property in San Diego County.
Officers with County Animal Services spent 12 hours in the midst of an Extreme Heat Warning on Thursday rescuing 400 ducks along with hundreds of geese, roosters, peacocks, pigeons and parrots from the property on the 11200 block of Lilac Vista Drive. A County spokesperson told News 8 investigators on scene Thursday saw “unsanitary conditions” and ducks who had injuries that appeared to be connected to fighting in cramped quarters.
There were also two dogs rescued.
The hundreds of animals were transferred to the county’s Bonita and Carlsbad shelters for treatment.
Dr. Brie Sarvis, director and chief veterinarian with San Diego County Animal Services, said the birds had no water and were significantly overcrowded.
They found dead birds in previous trips to the Valley Center property before the arrest warrant was issued.
“There’s different types of species all crammed together,” she said. “Many of them are bullying each other. There were dead birds on the property a couple of the times that we had been on the property. So just the overall mortality of the situation was not in keeping with a sanctuary situation.”
Dr. Sarvis also said the birds struggled to stand in the heat during Thursday’s rescue.
“When we were out at the site yesterday, we did see animals who had no water at all,” she said. “It was still even early in the morning. It was very hot. Many animals had no shade, and as the day went on, they were all laying down and panting because they just didn’t have anywhere to get away from the sun.”
San Diego County officials said they received reports the animals were sick and being neglected. The latest seizure comes just months after Riverside County removed hundreds of ducks from the man’s previous property. Riverside County officials tipped off San Diego that the man had relocated to Valley Center.
People looking to help the birds can donate to the Animal Services Spirit Medical Fund.
San Diego County spokesperson Chuck Westerheide identified the man as 66-year-old Howard Berkowitz.
Berkowitz was arrested on a Ramey warrant, which allows law enforcement to arrest a suspect before criminal charges are formally filed after a judge finds probable cause. Investigators said the arrest was related to allegations of improper care and husbandry.
Westerheide said Riverside County law enforcement presented a criminal case to Riverside County District Attorney’s Office on Friday, but no criminal charges have been filed in either county as of Friday.
Berkowitz was taken into custody on a felony charge of cruelty to animals but is no longer in San Diego County custody.
Berkowitz has a long history with Riverside County animal officials. Before he came to San Diego County, Berkowitz founded The Duck Sanctuary, a nonprofit in unincorporated Riverside County. But animal services intervened and took possession of 480 of more than 800 ducks earlier this year. A Riverside County Department of Animal Services spokesperson said they were investigating Berkowitz’s property for improper husbandry and overcrowding.
“Overcrowding can contribute to stress and decreased immune function,” said RCDAS Chief Veterinarian Dr. Itzel Vizcarra. “Inadequate nutrition, particularly vitamin A deficiency, can impair the lining of the digestive tract, predisposing birds to inflammation and secondary illness.”
Riverside County officials said at the time that these conditions were commonly seen in birds kept in overcrowded and under-sourced environments. They said while they were aware Berkowitz intended to maintain an animal sanctuary, the investigation proved the nearly 500 ducks needed to be removed. The ducks were placed for adoption through the San Jacinto Valley Animal Center.
One week after the rescue, the San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus posted on Facebook that all 480 ducks had been “rescued and adopted.” They called it the “single largest intake for the department in over a decade.”
But when CBS News spoke to Berkowitz in April, he said they were instead given away for free to a livestock business. Berkowitz said he believed his ducks would be sent to the slaughterhouse and processed into food.
“What animal services did was completely against anything they’ve ever written in their books,” Berkowitz told CBS News in April. “When they give out animals for free, they are never supposed to go to a re-seller. Which is exactly what they did.”
County officials have not publicly responded to Berkowitz’s account.
News 8 reached out to the Riverside County Department of Animal Services about what happened to the 480 birds, but have not received a reply before deadline. This story will be updated to reflect their statement if one is provided.
Berkowitz has been in the public eye for several years. Southern California news outlets — including the Los Angeles Times — have featured his various duck sanctuaries.
He told The Times in 2024 he is a former biochemist and part-time classic car mechanic and that he has a 500,000 life insurance policy in case anything happens to him to finance duck care.
“I’m actually divorced because of this. My wife couldn’t handle the responsibilities any longer,” Berkowitz told the The Times. “She left me because of the duck sanctuary.”
The Times also reported that neighbors repeatedly called animal control. Investigators responded several times, and Berkowitz told the newspaper he passed those inspections. He has been served notice at least two times by Riverside County code enforcement officers at different locations that he had an “excessive” amount of animals in a residential area. He said he’s had to move his duck sanctuary multiple times.
But a group of animal activists allege abuse. Since at least 2024, Riverside County residents and animal advocates have alleged Berkowitz neglected the birds and kept them in substandard conditions. Their Facebook posts detail numerous dead ducks seen on his property.
News 8 has called Berkowitz multiple times to request comment but have not heard back before deadline. This story will be updated to reflect his statement if one is provided.