Outrage as 300 ‘healthy’ ostriches are executed by firing squad

A holding pen that just one day earlier housed 300 ostriches now contains their tarp-covered bodies after officials carried out a slaughter late Thursday night.

The pen sits on the grounds of Universal Ostrich Farms in British Columbia, Canada, which has been locked in a legal battle with federal officials over a government‑ordered cull. 

Katie Pasitney, daughter of farm owner Karen Pasitney, sobbed while telling the Daily Mail about the loss of the birds, saying: ‘They made a mistake, these animals aren’t poultry, some of them were 35 years old, and every single one had a name. 

‘My mom lost everything she loved. Those birds were all that kept her happy. They killed all her babies, and now they’re still lying there under a tarp.’ 

The deaths came months after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) began investigating the farm following an anonymous report in December that alleged roughly 30 ostrich deaths within three weeks. 

Subsequent testing confirmed two birds had contracted H5N1 avian influenza, a highly contagious strain of bird flu. Agency records showed deaths continued through mid-January, ultimately totaling 69.

Pasitney recently pleaded with the Supreme Court of Canada to halt the cull, insisting the birds were healthy and posed no threat to public safety. 

Around 6 pm local time on Thursday, trucks and SUVs belonging to the agency arrived at the farm, and several men were seen carrying equipment into the enclosures. The sound of repeated gunfire echoed across the property as supporters gathered outside, praying and shouting for the birds. 

By Friday morning, the Pasitneys awoke to find their ostriches’ bodies littering the pen. 

‘They are all gone. They need to pay for this. The world needs to know the monsters they are,’ Pasitney told Daily Mail. 

‘They brought war to our farm last night.. Just to kill healthy animals. When did we stop valuing life? You can’t just keep killing everything.’ 

The Daily Mail has contacted CFIA for comment. 

Canada’s highest court on Thursday ended a months-long legal battle to save hundreds of ostriches exposed to avian influenza, a fight that had drawn international attention and even the support of the US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. 

The Supreme Court of Canada declined to hear an appeal filed by the owners of Universal Ostrich Farms, who had sought to overturn a federal order mandating the cull of their flock. 

The decision effectively cleared the final legal hurdle preventing authorities from moving forward. 

In a statement, the CFIA said it will now proceed with ‘depopulation and disposal measures’ to contain the spread of H5N1 avian influenza, following an outbreak in December 2024 that killed 69 birds at the British Columbia farm. 

RFK Jr had publicly urged Canadian officials to reconsider the cull, arguing that the ostriches could provide valuable scientific data. 

In an open letter to the CFIA, he wrote that ‘the indiscriminate destruction of entire flocks without up-to-date testing and evaluation can have significant consequences, including the loss of valuable genetic stock that may help explain risk factors for H5N1 mortality.’ 

The US Health Secretary’s plea, echoed by animal welfare advocates and high-profile supporters, including television personality Dr Mehmet Oz and New York billionaire John Catsimatidis, called for a reprieve that would allow researchers to study the birds’ immune response rather than destroy them. 

Dr Oz, who runs Medicare and Medicaid, even offered to adopt the birds at his 900-acre ranch in Okeechobee, Florida, but his rescue plan was quashed.

Canadian authorities, however, have maintained that the cull was necessary to prevent further spread of the virus, which poses a serious threat to both wild and domestic bird populations. 

Beyond the emotional devastation, the farmers said the cull will also bring ruinous financial losses. The Canadian government’s compensation offer, they claim, falls far short of the birds’ true market value and threatens to destroy their biotechnology venture, Struthio BioScience Inc, named after Struthio, the genus for ostriches.

The company pivoted in 2020 from selling ostrich meat and oil to developing antibodies known as immunoglobulin Y (IgY), extracted from egg yolks. 

These antibodies are thought to have potential in combating diseases ranging from influenza to obesity.

Pasitney told the Daily Mail that prior to the CFIA reporting the bird flu tip, she and her family petitioned the government for funding to progress research in ostrich egg yolks.

‘We proved antibodies for covid and H5N1 avian influenza in the egg yolks,’ she said.