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July 17, 2026


BREAKING NEWS

ANOTHER BIG HOARDER (AKA "RESCUE") BUSTED FOR FELONY ANIMAL CRUELTY

NEED HELP NOW!

We have been working diligently with animal rescue group, the Funky Chicken Rescue, and animal advocates/whistleblowers, "The Duck Sanctuary Exposed," as well as law enforcement, including both San Diego and Riverside County's animal care and control departments, the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office, and the U.S. DOJ, to seek justice for the surviving 800 animals, primarily birds, who have been kept and transported in abhorrent conditions. Howard Berkowitz has moved them to eight different properties in the last four years, three of those moves in 2026 alone.

Berkowitz, who founded the Duck "Sanctuary" (aka Duck Pond, Inc.) in the Riverside area, was booked yesterday by the San Diego County Sheriff's Office for Penal Code 597(b), felony animal cruelty. Berkowitz had moved the animals to San Diego County over the last week, allegedly without ventilation making many trips in a U-Haul truck.

The suffering of these animals has been ongoing for years, but thanks to the perseverance of a determined team of witnesses, homeowners, volunteers, rescue organizations, adopters, and donors to seek justice for these animals, this heartbreaking story is coming to an end.

The time has finally come to end the cycle of abuse and neglect. Berkowitz is finally being brought to justice and the animals are finally being saved.

Now, we urgently need your help!

Our current needs are for donations to support this effort. We need funds for transport expenses, such as gas, truck rentals, kennels, crates, bedding, food, and other equipment, as well as volunteers who will help move the animals interstate and possibly out-of-state.

Currently, we have an immediate need for the transport of at least 10 chickens and ducks from San Diego to the Sacramento area. We will need more transportation as the animals become officially available for adoption.

Besides the 10 that we need to immediately transport, the rest of the animals currently belong to the court for the time being. We will keep everyone informed as the remaining animals are available for adoption.

This is a tax-deductible donation that will only go towards this major undertaking unless otherwise noted.

If you can help, please directly email Darcy Smith:

funkychickenrescue@gmail.com 

Here is the list of the species that were saved. They are all being evaluated by an avian veterinarian. Note that these are estimate numbers.

• 500 - 600 Ducks
• 100 Geese
• 200+ Pigeons
• 1 Chinese Gold Pheasant
• 2-4 Peacocks
• 1-2 Peahen
• 1 Pink Cockatoo
• 1 White Cockatoo
• 2-4 Guinea Fowl
• 20 Chickens/Roosters
• 1 Macaw
• Several Canadian Geese
• Mallards
• Budgies
• Cockatiels
• 3 dogs (Great Pyrenees mixes)

Thank you so much for considering to help this rescue effort. We are all so grateful!

Click below to access all of the

BECAUSE THEY NEED US episodes!

Thank you to everyone who has donated this year, 2026 has been very challenging for nonprofit organizations. We need your donations to exist! If you appreciate our work, please donate, we cannot continue without your financial support.

With tons of gratitude, Judie

Judie Mancuso, founder/CEO/president

Social Compassion, 501(c)(3)

Social Compassion in Legislation, 501(c)(4)

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