PoultryWorld: Ostriches on Canadian farm have recovered from bird flu, no culling

Thanks to a social media firestorm and a last-minute court injunction, 400 ostriches that were facing a culling on 1 February on a farm in British Columbia are still alive.

The day before the killing was to have been carried out at Universal Ostrich Farms by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), a federal judge in Toronto, Ontario, ruled to stay the cull order while the farm owners seek a judicial review. Justice Michael Battista wrote in his decision that going ahead with the 1 February euthanasia before the matter could be further examined “would expose the applicant to irreparable harm”.

Avian influenza outbreak and risks

The ostrich flock had suffered an outbreak of avian influenza. Most have recovered. Court documents show 69 of the 450 ostriches on the farm died between 15 December 2024 and 15 January 2025 after showing symptoms.

The CFIA had issued the cull order on 30 December after the agency confirmed avian influenza in 2 dead ostriches. The farm immediately applied for a CFIA exemption, but the agency denied this on 10 January.

The day before the cull was planned on 1 February, the lawyer for the CFIA argued in Toronto that the killing should proceed because avian influenza can spread to humans and that the recovered ostriches still present a public health risk. He also stated that there is a risk that the virus could mutate into new variants, even in healthy animals.

Social media impact

The farm owners and supporters had taken to many social media platforms to raise awareness of the impending cull, and to try and prevent it. Canada’s well-known independent media organisation, Rebel News, went so far as to create a website with many videos and also to fundraise in order to help the birds and their owners avert the cull. 

Rare genes

The farmers and their lawyer also argued against the cull because the genes of these ostriches are part of an antibody research study, making their genetics rare and valuable. The research project involves Dr Yasuhiro Tsukamoto, president of Kyoto Prefectural University in Japan. He is also known as Dr Ostrich. Tsukamoto’s research involves the extraction of Covid-19 antibodies from ostrich eggs on the farm. He has studied the antibodies in ostrich egg yolk for decades, with a focus on their ability to block infectious diseases, including avian influenza.

The road ahead

The farm owners, Karen Espersen and Dave Bilinski, were very relieved to hear the news, watching the proceedings in Toronto virtually from their farm in Edgewood, British Columbia. However, a future cull could still occur. The farm owners are awaiting a date for a hearing related to their requested judicial review.