Outrage as 300 ‘healthy’ ostriches are executed by firing squad after infectious disease claims

A holding pen that had housed 300 ostriches just a day earlier now houses their tarp-covered corpses after authorities carried out the massacre late Thursday night.

The pen is located on the land of Universal Ostrich Farms in British Columbia, Canada, which is embroiled in a legal battle with federal authorities over a government-ordered cull.

Katie Pasitney, daughter of farm owner Karen Pasitney, tearfully told the Daily Mail when describing the loss of the birds: ‘They made a mistake, these animals are not poultry, some of them were 35 years old and each had a name.

‘My mother lost everything she loved. The only thing that made him happy were those birds. They killed all their 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 alleging nearly 30 emus deaths in three weeks.

Tests later confirmed that the two birds had contracted H5N1 bird flu, a highly contagious strain of bird flu. Agency records showed the deaths continued through mid-January, totaling 69 people.

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.

At around 18:00 local time on Thursday, the agency’s trucks and SUVs arrived at the farm and several men were seen carrying equipment into the enclosed areas. Repeated gunfire echoed through the property as supporters gathered outside, praying and shouting for the birds.

Homeowners said they heard hundreds of gunshots throughout the night. More than 300 birds died and their bodies are still lying in pens under tarpaulins

On Friday morning, the Pasitneys woke up to find the bodies of the ostriches lying on top of the pens.

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

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

The Daily Mail has contacted the CFIA for comment.

Canada’s highest court on Thursday ended a months-long legal battle to save hundreds of ostriches exposed to bird flu; The fight attracted international attention and even the support of U.S. Surgeon General Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The Supreme Court of Canada has refused to hear an appeal by the owners of Universal Ostrich Farms, who are seeking to overturn a federal decision mandating the culling of their flocks.

The decision effectively removed the last legal hurdle that had prevented authorities from moving forward.

The CFIA said in a statement that it will now continue ‘depopulation and eradication measures’ to control the spread of H5N1 bird flu following an outbreak at a British Columbia farm in December 2024 that killed 69 birds.

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

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

Picture Karen Pasitney crying in the arms of her daughter Katie on Thursday (right)

The family owned ostriches for over 30 years and gave each one a name.

The US Surgeon General, including television personality Dr. The call, which was also voiced by animal welfare advocates and high-profile supporters including Mehmet Öz and New York billionaire John Catsimatidis, called for a delay that would allow researchers to study the birds’ immune responses rather than destroying them.

But Canadian officials argued the culling 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, farmers said the cull would also lead to devastating financial losses. They claim the Canadian government’s compensation offer falls far short of the birds’ actual market value and threatens to destroy Struthio BioScience Inc., the biotech startup named after the ostrich genus Struthio.

Eyewitnesses reported that Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) trucks and SUVs arrived at the farm on Thursday evening and several men were seen moving equipment into indoor areas. Pictured is a CFIA personnel wearing a hazmat suit

In 2020, the company moved from selling ostrich meat and oil to developing antibodies known as immunoglobulin Y (IgY), derived from egg yolk.

These antibodies are thought to have the potential to fight many diseases, from flu to obesity.

Pasitney told the Daily Mail that before the CFIA reported the bird flu tip, he and his family had petitioned the government for funding to advance ostrich egg yolk research.

‘We proved Covid and H5N1 bird flu antibodies in egg yolk,’ he said.