U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he has talked to Canadian health officials about sparing a flock of ostriches in British Columbia that have been ordered killed due to avian flu fears.
In a statement posted to X, Kennedy says that he spoke with Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) president Paul MacKinnon on Thursday to discuss the fate of the roughly 400 ostriches at Universal Ostrich in Edgewood, B.C. where avian flu was detected in two dead birds in December 2024.
In a letter to MacKinnon and posted to X, Kennedy reiterates that he is “respectfully requesting” the CFIA “consider not culling the entire flock of ostriches,” arguing “we believe there is significant value in studying this population.”
WATCH | Supporters gather at ostrich farm slated for cull: Demonstrators are gathering at Universal Ostrich farm in Edgewood, B.C., to protest a federal order to cull a flock of …