CAMDEN, DE- Thousands of baby birds have been under the care of the First State Animal Center and SPCA since May 2, after a shipping mishap left them stranded at a Delaware distribution center.
Jimmy Kroon, with the Delaware Department of Agriculture, said the Department received an unexpected call that day from a distribution center in New Castle County about an undeliverable shipment of birds.
"They called us that they had a shipment of birds they weren't able to deliver. At the time, we thought it was a box of birds."
But that "box" turned out to be around 300 crates holding nearly 12,000 birds, destined for various states but somehow all ending up in Delaware.
Freedom Ranger Hatchery, the Pennsylvania-based supplier of the birds, said in a statement to WBOC, "The Post Office hasn't given any good explanation as to how this happened."
WBOC contacted the U.S. Postal Service for comment, but multiple attempts went unanswered.
The birds were stranded at the distribution center for three and a half days, without food or water in 130-degree temperatures, before being sent to the First State Animal Center and SPCA in Camden for emergency care.
John Parana, director of the First State Animal Center and SPCA, said the birds arrived at the facility in a USPS tractor-trailer on May 2. They represent a range of species, including chicks, geese, quail, and more.
Due to the extreme conditions, about 8,100 of the 12,000 birds were still alive upon arrival.
After round-the-clock care from The First State Animal Center and SPCA, Parana says roughly 4,000 birds remain in good health.
"These animals are at the sole expense of the shelter. Their care, their upkeep, their medical..."
First State Animal Center says it contacted the Department of Agriculture for compensation, citing a longstanding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Agreement that sets intake fees at $25 per bird and $5 per day for care.
Parana says those conversations have led nowhere.
"We went in to try to negotiate a reasonable fee. I was told the Department of Agriculture had no resources or money to even think about giving to First State Animal Center."
The Department of Agriculture acknowledged the situation was beyond the scope of its agreement.
"We certainly never wrote an agreement that was meant to deal with 10,000 birds. So, yeah, we've been talking with them about that."
Parana says if the Department of Agriculture cannot agree to a fair compensation plan soon, the First State Animal Center and SPCA will terminate its agreement with the state effective June 1.
The First State Animal Center and SPCA has been the department's sole vendor for handling neglected and sick animals over the past year.
If the agreement ends, the Department of Agriculture will need to find a new vendor to house and care for future animals in need.
Chicks are now up for adoption at three dollars each, and anyone interested is encouraged to contact the First State Animal Center and SPCA.