Opinion

My Take On The Ostrich Scandal In BC, Canada 

By Wendy Bryce

Early in November, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) authorized the eradication of hundreds of ostriches that were privately owned in British Columbia, Canada.  I knew nothing of this until after the fact, and I am sure that was true of many Canadians. 

Following this story has brought more confusion to me than clarity.  The first point of confusion is the definition of the word ‘cull’. Check any dictionary and it will tell you that a cull is a ‘weeding out’, so to speak. Animals may be culled from a herd if they are sick, or if a herd has overpopulated, and the food supply is short.  It can also refer to other things, such as culling fruit.  It means removing the rotten fruit so that the healthy fruit does not spoil. But the definition does not indicate the destruction of the entire amount.   Yet every news source, CBC, CTV, Global (those are the first that I heard reporting it) said the same thing,  “The CFIA has reported that the cull of ostriches in B.C. is complete”  Terse, cold, and “let’s get this thing swept under the carpet as fast as possible”, are the words I would use to describe the reporting. 

I had not heard of the ostrich issue prior, and so I began investigating.  I watched an interview on CBC where an American virologist, by the name of Angela Rasmusen, who teaches at the University of Saskatchewan, explained that the reason for the cull was brought on by the ostrich owners themselves. According to her, someone (no names given) had leaked to the CFIA months ago that there were sick birds among the flock.  She said that the owners did not follow that law, stating that all such infections must be reported to the CFIA immediately.  She went on to say that if they had reported the infections, the sick birds could have been removed, and the cull would never have occurred.  I do not know if that is true. 

The firestorm worldwide over the deaths of these ostriches has shocked me, and it is only growing.  There is a farmer’s protest taking place on November 22, which is going to resemble the trucker’s protest that took place during COVID. The anger is out of control.   

I am going to steer away from the farm and its owners and even the ostriches in this article, because I do not have all the facts. However, when I heard an interview on CBC with Ian Hanomansing, the virologist he interviewed brought the age of the birds into question.  Some of them, she said, were old and very vulnerable to disease, she explained. (That also made them, I think, like members of their owner’s family, thus the worldwide outpouring of grief is understandable.) 

I researched ostriches in general on Google.  They are amazing creatures, but they are also very susceptible to disease.  They, however, have a defence mechanism.  They produce antibodies very rapidly to counter their many infections.  Ostrich eggs are full of antibodies, and the birds themselves can stay healthy and active for many years.   

The ostriches in BC were not being used for food, so there was no danger of a disease being transmitted through ingesting the meat.  The antibodies were being used in medical research to test for cures for other illnesses.  

This case garnered so much attention that RFK, who is the Food and Drug Administrator in the Trump government, got directly involved, and he urged the Canadian government to stop the killings. Dr. Oz, a renowned and wealthy American TV celebrity, wanted to relocate the birds to his farm in the US, and he implored the government, also to no avail.  The government of Canada was on a mission to destroy these animals.  Why ?

At this point, I want to clarify something.  The CFIA does not act on its own authority.  It is a government agency, although one commenter said that it has been taken over by WHO (World Health Organization). I personally don’t think that is possible.  However, it is the Canadian government that authorized this slaughter, and they follow the science, which comes directly from the virologists.  

Was it ordered by Angela Rasmusen ?. You can research that yourselves. I only know that the inhumane treatment of these loveable creatures has broken hearts all over the world.  "Why couldn’t more tests have been done ?" the public has been asking.  According to Angela Rasmusen, the test for H1N1 in ostriches is complicated.  It involves three areas on each bird that must be tested, so I would imagine it is costly and time-consuming.  A certain danger factor also presents itself, in that an ostrich kick can kill an individual.  So, perhaps it was just too much trouble, and killing them all was easier. Will the Government of Canada divulge their reasoning?  I doubt it. 

I don’t know what the result of this fiasco will be for the Carney government, but here is my summary.  

 A lawsuit has already been filed by the Animal Justice Dept., because of the inhumane way in which the animals were dispatched, each having to watch the killing of its mates. It was against the law, not to mention the method used to kill them. 

The government and the media should be held accountable for deliberately deceiving the public by calling this a cull when, indeed, it was a slaughter.  Any politician, virologist, journalist or news anchor worth their salt should know the difference 

The government should also be held to account for the fact that the outcome of the ostriches had been decided months ago, and that giving time to the family to file an appeal to the Supreme Court, was simply giving the government the time to foment a military style operation and cover-up, of what I believe to be a crime, under the guise of protecting the public at large. 

Many mistakes were made in this tragic case.  My heart is for the owners.  If following ‘the science’ means leaving emotions, compassion and true concern for human suffering behind, then science is a cold-hearted monster.  

But the greatest tragedy of all is that no one, to my knowledge, at the government level (except Edgewood’s local MP and Elisabeth May, former leader of the Green Party), has even publicly addressed this issue, or shown any compassion toward the grieving family, or even admitted that the government could have done better.  That, in my opinion, is unforgivable and shows failure in leadership that goes directly to the office of PM Carney.  Shame, shame on you. 

Disclaimer:  I am not an investigative journalist.  I truly hope that I have shared correct information here, but I suggest you do your own follow-up