In Pennsylvania, 650 exotic birds were pulled from one home, and a dog rescue took them in

After nearly 650 exotic birds were seized from one Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, home during a police raid, they ended up with an unlikely caretaker: a dog rescue.

Here's what to know

According to CBS 21, the PA Game Commission and Harrisburg Police Department executed a search on the 1000 block of Lone Street, where a resident was allegedly keeping the hundreds of exotic birds. 

Just hours after the raid, the animals were placed with Knine Rescue, an organization that — unsurprisingly — primarily helps dogs.

Knine Rescue president Amy Creel told CBS 21 that animal control officers reached out because they needed assistance with the large-scale case. She said that although the organization mainly rescues dogs, it has also helped with a major bird hoarding case in Baltimore and has bird experts on its team.

Creel subsequently explained to the outlet that a seizure of this size still surpassed anything her group had expected, adding, "It's the biggest case that I've ever been involved in in over a decade of doing this work." Creel added that the birds included finches, parakeets, canaries, macaws, lovebirds, and Quakers. 

Authorities have not shared details about the homeowner or how the birds came to be in the house, but Creel stated that she believes the case involved both breeding and hoarding.

More background

Despite this experience, animal advocates online attacked the move and questioned why they weren't taken to shelters that specialize in bird care, per CBS 21. Much of the criticism has centered on which groups were contacted and which ones ultimately were not.

Jenna Hogrefe, director and owner of Soaring Spirits Sanctuary, told CBS 21 that an animal warden initially told her, "We had a situation. We went into a house. There are several hundred birds. We need your help. Can you be on standby?" which led her to line up at least four bird rescue organizations and her volunteer team.

But after being on standby for hours before being told not to come, Hogrefe later learned the birds had been taken to Knine Rescue instead. She said she does not blame Knine for helping, but she strongly criticized how the situation was managed.

"I'm very upset and frustrated by the way this was handled. You can tell on law enforcement's side, there was no communication or organization," she told CBS 21.

For Hogrefe, the biggest issue is biosecurity. She explained to the outlet that "avian diseases are no joke. They're very serious and they can wipe out an entire flock. So, what we're doing is I've been communicating with Knine Rescue and telling them, what laboratory to go to, what's going to be the most cost-effective option, how to pull blood samples on these birds and where to send it to, and what diseases to test for."

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