An Irvine man was arrested Wednesday, May 13, on suspicion of animal cruelty after he allegedly killed a duckling and injured another after taking them out of a pool in the Rancho San Joaquin community, authorities said.
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The man, 71, lived in the complex – The Villas at Rancho San Joaquin –near the community pool and was taken into custody hours after the attack, Irvine police spokesman Officer Ziggy Azarcon said.
Shortly before 11 a.m., the suspect allegedly got into the community pool as several ducklings were swimming with a mother duck, Azarcon said. The man allegedly gathered some of the ducklings, placed them into a box and then used a plastic trash bin and hit some of the ducklings before throwing them into a trash can.
One of the ducklings died and another was taken to a veterinary clinic for treatment of severe head trauma, Azarcon said. The rest of the ducklings escaped with the mother duck.
The department’s Animal Services Unit, with help from the Investigations Bureau, quickly identified and found the suspect at his home, Azarcon said.
Officers tried to talk to him through a screen door but “he was not giving any information and not complying the whole time, so they set up a perimeter so he couldn’t get out while our detectives obtained a search warrant,” Azarcon said.
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The man was arrested and detectives plan to submit a case to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, Azarcon said.
“Witnesses were able to identify him and point out where he lived,” Azarcon said. “Someone witnessed the incident and recognized him as a neighbor.”
The large complex of condominiums and townhouses sits between the Rancho San Joaquin Golf Course and the Rancho San Joaquin Racquet Club just west of Culver Drive.
The spokesman said it was a “heartbreaking case for our detectives to investigate because it involves very small animals who are defenseless.”
Police do not know why the man attacked the ducklings.
“We want to assure the community that the protection and welfare of animals in our city remains a high priority,” police said. “As a reminder, migratory birds are federally protected and, in most cases, cannot be moved or relocated, including those that next near pools.”
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