BC Ostriches Spared Culling Over Bird Flu for Now as Owners Try to Get Permanent Reprieve

Karen Espersen, owner of Universal Ostrich Farms in B.C., with some of the 400 ostriches that may be culled due to an outbreak of avian flu. Courtesy Universal Ostrich Farms

An 11th-hour court injunction preventing the culling of more than 400 ostriches has been granted to a farm in rural British Columbia, allowing the owners time to advocate for preserving their flock and the years of science and research dedicated to their birds.

Justice Michael Battista ordered the original order by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to be paused on Jan. 31 until it can be reviewed by the courts.