Target: Heath MacDonald, Canada Minister of Agriculture
Goal: Explore alternatives to culling for 400 farm ostriches targeted by kill order.
“Save Our Ostriches”: it’s a battle cry that has rung across British Columbia (BC) all the way to the halls of the U.S. Department of Health. When 69 ostriches at the Universal Ostrich farm were stricken with bird flu, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) kickstarted an ongoing controversy when they ordered the remaining 400 birds in the flock to be culled. They made this ruling despite no other members of the flock exhibiting any signs of illness for several months and despite a lack of follow-up testing on the flock.
The owner of the farm, local politicians, and community members immediately condemned the decision. The owner has also argued that the animals were never intended to be used for food but rather for research purposes. This possibility prompted the U.S. health secretary to offer an arrangement wherein the birds would be transported to the United States and studied for potential antibodies they had acquired during the flu outbreak.
The Canadian Federal Court of Appeal has paused the culling order until a final decision is reached. Sign the petition below to urge Canada’s Department of Agriculture to find a humane alternative to culling in the interim.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Minister MacDonald,
You once suggested that the fate of hundreds of ostriches at a British Columbia farm did not have to be a deadly fate. Yet despite outcry – even from the BC Premier – the cull order for these by-all-appearances healthy birds has remained. Since then, public anger has grown, suggestions have been made about the ostriches’ research value, legal experts have questioned whether the lack of humane culling methods for the ostriches could result in animal cruelty, and scientists have offered to evaluate these animals for signs of sickness, to no avail.
Please let science and a humanitarian approach factor into this consequential decision. After months of a swinging axe over their heads, these animals deserve a shot at salvation. Work with advocates to provide them that life-saving opportunity.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Sanu N
