Oh Canada...WTF?
Universal Ostrich Farms: When Precaution Became Overkill in Edgewood, B.C.
What began as a local animal-health concern escalated into a high-stakes, internationally scrutinized incident when Canadian authorities forcibly depopulated the ostrich flock at Universal Ostrich Farms, near Edgewood, British Columbia. Federal agencies justified the operation under the guise of biosecurity and H5N1 outbreak control, but critics argue that the action ignored well-established scientific principles about virus transmission and host immunity.
The size of the flock at risk
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) ordered the cull of approximately 350 ostriches at the farm. (https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2025/05/13/bc-farm-hit-by-avian-flu-ostrich-cull-to-proceed/) According to the farm and its supporters, this was not a small, isolated flock but a substantial population that could have had scientific value if preserved. (https://globalnews.ca/news/11454263/ostrich-cull-british-columbia/)
Tensions reached a breaking point in mid-September when RCMP officers stormed the farm while Katie Pasitney and her mother, co-owner Karen Espersen, were feeding and caring for their ostriches, having received no objection or instruction from authorities on site. Despite this, both women were arrested as the birds were taken under court order. Supporters livestreamed the event, horrified by what they saw as an unnecessarily aggressive action against a family who had acted responsibly.
How the ostriches likely became infected
According to the farm and independent observers, the virus was probably introduced by wild ducks landing on or near the property. From there, it spread among the ostriches, but because they were in ground-level pens with limited contact with other species, the chances of onward transmission remained low. Critics argue that this fundamental scientific reality was not given due weight in the decision to depopulate.
The surviving ostriches, its advocates say, were a living resource: a rare, naturally resistant population potentially carrying antibodies in their blood and eggs (IgY) that could be studied.
However, public-health officials remained unwavering. They insisted that despite the scientific potential, a “stamping-out” approach remained the only safe option. Critics say this stance ignored fundamental virology: the biology of the species, the timeframe of infection, and the clear evidence that survivors had likely developed immunity.
Night shooting and disproportionate force
When the cull was enforced, marksmen under veterinary supervision were deployed. Witnesses reported sustained gunfire deep into the night, with many rounds fired. Protesters later alleged that some ostrich heads were removed, though official sources remain vague on that claim. The scene, critics say, looked less like a targeted, scientific intervention than a military-style purge of a contained flock.
Ignored opportunities and ethical questions
The Universal Ostrich Farms saga exposes a deep tension between public-health mandates and scientific opportunity. The CFIA’s rigid insistence on a “stamping-out” policy, even when faced with a potentially immune and contained flock, raises serious ethical and policy questions: when does the precautionary principle become overkill, and how much potential knowledge is lost when authorities choose eradication over careful study?
The cull at Edgewood may have quelled the official biosecurity concern, but at a steep price: lost scientific opportunity, damaged trust, and a precedent that critics warn could haunt future outbreak responses. As virologists and animal-welfare advocates reflect, the handling of this case may well serve as a warning that policies rooted in fear, rather than in nuanced biology, can do more harm than good.