More than 175 animals were removed from a West Valley City home in what city officials are calling one of the biggest bird-hoarding cases they've encountered.
Animal control officers removed 15 geese, several chickens, a parrot and 156 pigeons from the home this month, FOX 13 reported.
"A ton of pigeons," West Valley City Animal Services Director Maranda Weathermon told FOX 13. "All sorts. Big ones, little ones."
Many of the pigeons are unique breeds, for showing, racing and keeping as pets, Weathermon said, so they cannot be released to the wild.
Instead, animal control officers have converted the dog intake area of their office into a makeshift aviary, creating perches out of branches and kennels, Weathermon said.
Police found the birds while searching a home where police shot a dog and arrested three people in a drug investigation, FOX 13 reported. The house was deemed unsafe due to meth contamination, police said.
Neighbors told FOX 13 that the geese were a particular nuisance, pooping on lawns and aggressively chasing passersby.
As of Monday, all 15 geese were adopted and the parrot was taken in by a rescue provider; 70 of the pigeons had been adopted.
Editor’s note •The Salt Lake Tribune and FOX 13 are content-sharing partners.
