Canadian court rules killing of four hundred Ostriches
The ruling concludes months of legal disputes between the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Universal Ostrich Farms near Edgewood, where officials have warned that the flock presents a significant biosecurity risk. The CFIA said its “stamping out” approach aligns with World Health Organization (WHO) guidance for containing avian flu.
Farm representatives strongly criticized the decision. “They are prehistoric animals that have survived millions of years, but they won’t survive the Canadian Food Inspection Agency,” said spokesperson Katie Pasitney, accusing authorities of “murdering healthy birds.” Co-owner Dave Bilinski added that he feared “there’s no justice left.”
The farm owners argued that the surviving ostriches appear healthy and may have developed partial immunity following the last bird flu death in January. However, a federal court noted that leaving the birds alive could risk spreading the virus to other animals, the poultry industry, or even humans.
The planned cull has drawn international attention and stirred political debate. U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reportedly petitioned Canadian authorities to spare the flock, while Mehmet Oz, head of the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, offered to relocate the ostriches to his ranch in Florida.
Although the CFIA has not announced an exact start date for the culling, witnesses told Canadian media that officials were seen installing floodlights and equipment around the farm shortly after the court’s decision.
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