91³Ô¹ÏÍø

Watch CBS News
Local News

Nearly 500 ducks seized from Riverside County property are now up for adoption

By
Dean Fioresi
Web Producer, CBS Los Angeles
Dean Fioresi is a web producer for CBS Los Angeles. He covers breaking news throughout Southern California. When he's not writing about local events, he enjoys focusing on sports and entertainment.
Read Full Bio
Dean Fioresi

/ CBS LA

Nearly 500 ducks that were seized from an illegal animal sanctuary in Riverside County were up for adoption on Wednesday. 

In a from the Riverside County Department of Animal Services, officials said that the 480 ducks were surrendered by a resident who had been under investigation for maintaining the illegal sanctuary in Anza, where overcrowding was a noted problem. Investigators said that there was concern over the ducks' welfare, prompting them to visit the location on Tuesday. 

screenshot-2026-04-15-at-8-03-55-pm.png
Some of the nearly 500 ducks rescued from an illegal animal sanctuary in Anza. Riverside County Department of Animal Services

During a previous visit with the owner, RCDAS officials said that they were told that the owner intended to "maintain an animal sanctuary for the birds." However, recent investigations revealed that "the need for action to remove the animals from the property due to improper husbandry," the release said.

"This large-scale operation requires intense coordination across our department, and our main priority is the safe transport and intake of these animals today," said a statement from RCDAS Assistant Director Dr. Kimberly Youngberg. "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."  

Officials said that all of the ducks have undergone examinations through a joint effort between RCDAS and the California Department of Food & Agriculture, and that no indications of disease were discovered. The tests did show, though, that the animals did not receive adequate care at the property. 

"Overcrowding can contribute to stress and decreased immune function," said RCDAS Chief Veterinarian Dr. Itzel Vizcarra in a statement. "Inadequate nutrition, particularly vitamin A deficiency, can impair the lining of the digestive tract, predisposing birds to inflammation and secondary illness." 

screenshot-2026-04-15-at-8-16-48-pm.png
Some of the ducks that were rescued by Riverside County Department of Animal Services personnel from an Anza property on Tuesday, April 14, 2026.  Riverside County Department of Animal Services

All of the ducks were transported to the on Tuesday and put up for adoption beginning Wednesday morning. RCDAS officials invited individuals and nonprofit rescue groups to visit the campus, which is located at 581 S. Grand Avenue in San Jacinto, and said that all adoption fees would be waived. They advised that residents should double check with their local jurisdiction to determine how many waterfowl were permitted per property before adoption.

© 2026 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
const link = doc.createElement('link'); link.rel = 'stylesheet'; link.href = '/fly/fly/bundles/cbsnewscontent/css/cmp-banner.min.css?v=296763317a51cab90faa73f1bb146d5c'; doc.head.appendChild(link); doc.body.innerHTML = CONSENT_MESSAGE; } else { el.insertAdjacentHTML('afterend', CONSENT_MESSAGE); } }); } function hidePrivacyMessage() { // Remove from the main document document.querySelectorAll(`.${CONSENT_MESSAGE_CLASS}`).forEach(el => el.remove()); // Remove from inside any iframes document.querySelectorAll('iframe').forEach(iframe => { const doc = iframe.contentDocument || iframe.contentWindow.document; doc.querySelectorAll(`.${CONSENT_MESSAGE_CLASS}`).forEach(el => el.remove()); }); } function activateGatedScripts() { // Handle both new format (cmp-gated-script) and old OneTrust/Ketch format (optanon-category-4) const gatedScripts = Array.from(document.querySelectorAll('script.cmp-gated-script, script.optanon-category-4')); // Activate scripts sequentially with a small delay to avoid timing issues let delay = 0; gatedScripts.forEach(function(placeholder, index) { setTimeout(function() { // Skip if already processed if (placeholder.hasAttribute('data-cmp-processed')) { return; } placeholder.setAttribute('data-cmp-processed', 'true'); const newScript = document.createElement('script'); newScript.type = 'text/javascript'; // Try new format first (data-cmp-src), then fall back to old format (data-src) const src = placeholder.getAttribute('data-cmp-src') || placeholder.getAttribute('data-src'); if (src) { newScript.src = src; } else if (placeholder.textContent) { // Inline script - just copy the content newScript.textContent = placeholder.textContent; } // Handle new format attributes (data-cmp-attrs) - for both inline and external scripts const attrs = placeholder.getAttribute('data-cmp-attrs'); if (attrs) { const tempDiv = document.createElement('div'); tempDiv.innerHTML = '
<\/div>'; const tempAttrs = tempDiv.firstChild.attributes; for (let i = 0; i < tempAttrs.length; i++) { // For external scripts, allow defer/async. For inline scripts, skip them (not valid) if (src || (tempAttrs[i].name !== 'async' && tempAttrs[i].name !== 'defer')) { newScript.setAttribute(tempAttrs[i].name, tempAttrs[i].value); } } } // Copy other attributes from old OneTrust format for (let i = 0; i < placeholder.attributes.length; i++) { const attr = placeholder.attributes[i]; // Skip attributes we've already handled or don't want to copy if (!['class', 'data-src', 'data-type', 'data-cmp-src', 'data-cmp-attrs', 'data-cmp-processed', 'type', 'async', 'defer', 'src'].includes(attr.name)) { newScript.setAttribute(attr.name, attr.value); } } placeholder.parentNode.replaceChild(newScript, placeholder); // If external script, manually trigger window.onload handlers after it loads // This handles widgets that use window.onload for initialization if (src) { newScript.addEventListener('load', function() { // If page already loaded and script set a new onload handler, trigger it if (document.readyState === 'complete' && window.onload) { const originalOnload = window.onload; window.onload = null; // Clear temporarily to prevent loops originalOnload(); // Execute the handler } }); } }, delay); delay += 500; // 500ms delay between each script to allow full loading }); } cbsoptanon.onScriptsReady(function(cmp) { cmp.ot.targetingAllowed(function(allowed) { if (!allowed) { showPrivacyMessage(); } else { activateGatedScripts(); } }); cmp.ot.awaitInitialConsent(function(consent_model) { cmp.ot.addOnConsentChangedHandler(function() { cmp.ot.targetingAllowed(function(allowed) { if (allowed) { hidePrivacyMessage(); activateGatedScripts(); } else { showPrivacyMessage(); } }); }); }); });