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LOS ANGELES — Nearly 200 ducks have been rescued from a box truck in the Southern California desert after their owner mysteriously died — leaving the birds trapped inside.
LA County Animal Care and Control officers were called to Palmdale on Wednesday after the California Highway Patrol discovered the mallards packed inside the truck — possibly ready for slaughter.
Officials said the owner of the truck was found dead — and the destination and true owner of the mallards could not be determined.
“This morning, our Palmdale ACC officers responded to a heartbreaking and unusual situation,” the LA County ACC said.
Officers moved quickly to intervene. “Our priority was clear: get them to safety,” the department said.
All of the ducks were removed from the truck and taken to animal care centers, where they are now being monitored while officials work to determine their origin and what will happen to them next.
Details surrounding the owner’s death have not been released, and it remains unclear how long the ducks had been inside the truck or where they were being transported.
Officials are now asking for the public’s help as they continue investigating the situation and working to figure out who is the rightful owner.
It’s unclear whether they will be sent to a rescue farm, or a slaughter house.
But for now, they’re just ducky.
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