Duck, duck, goose, another goose, too many geese.

Center Valley Animal Rescue and Discovery Bay Wild Bird Rescue are still recovering after being inundated with waterfowl after a hoarding case in Clallam County with more than
200 winged creatures came to their attention.

Chickens were also included in the avian aggregate that began being rescued at the beginning of 2022, as well as an emu, goat, and 20 Anatolian Shepherd dogs which made for a total of around 250 animals.

“This was our biggest case,” said Sara Penhallegon, found and director of Center Valley Animal Rescue in Quilcene.

Penhallegon and her team have rescued animals from hoarders before, previously topping out around 100, but this case was especially difficult because just a few weeks prior they had helped with another hoarder in the area who entered hospice leaving 85 animals behind.

“Seventy some of them were poultry — chickens and ducks — so we had all of those already, and then we had to pull all of these,” Penhallegon said.

While she has more than 20 years of experience rescuing animals, the facility doesn’t normally take in domestic waterfowl.

“We’ll do other poultry, but we don’t do domestic waterfowl. Wild waterfowl is different, but we just don’t have good facilities for that so we had to scramble and figure something out.”

The rescue center had to build another area to house the overflow and it took six trips to finally get the feathered friends free of their misery.

“It’s not like when we’re on scene I’m going to say, ‘Oh, well, we’ll take all of the chickens but leave all of the ducks and geese here to die.’ I’m just not going to do that. Every animal needed to get off this property,” Penhallegon said.

Even with the new addition, there still wasn’t quite enough space which is why Cindy Daily at Discovery Bay Wild Bird Rescue got involved. Despite being a facility for wild wingers instead of domestic, they too felt compelled to help with the flighted ones’ plight.

One problem, however, is that one year later, many birds have yet to find homes.

“They’re occupying space that I need wild birds to go to,” Daily said. “It’s hard enough making room for all the bald eagles, owls, and varied thrushes we get in.”

An even scarier issue is that people have reported to Penhallegon that the hoarder is back at it while awaiting trial.

“It has not been resolved yet, and it is my understanding — we’ve gotten some calls and complaints — that she’s collecting more animals,” Penhallegon said.

“I am very hopeful that it’s going to prosecution and it’s going to get prosecuted, but its very slow,” she added.

Penhallegon said she does a lot of work with law enforcement on these cases to ensure these things can’t be repeated.

“It just takes one conviction for one of these animals of first-degree animal cruelty and this person would never be able to own animals again in Washington,” Penhallegon said.

Both rescue centers have also had to put in a lot of work on the animals themselves.

“They needed extensive rehabilitation,” Penhallegon said.

“Some people are like, ‘Well, yeah, but it’s just chickens and ducks.’ But every one of them has to get a full exam and write up and every single one of those animals had to be treated for numerous different things. Like all of the geese needed injectable fluids and vitamin injections.”

Daily baths for bumblefoot, a baceterial infection, were another one of many treatments that made sure the animals found their way back to perfect health.

At this point, Discovery Bay Wild Bird Rescue is pressed to find homes as soon as possible for their remaining geese which includes two flocks, one of four African geese and two ruffled, and another flock of four white farm geese that are said to be very good egg-layers. The geese would have to be homed in at least pairs of two.

For those interested in making new feathered friends, call Discovery Bay Wild Bird Rescue at 360-379-0802.