Edgewood farmers say second ostrich has been shot dead

Another ostrich found dead

Photo: Katie Pasitney

Universal Ostrich Farms Inc. is located in Edgewood.

The owners of an ostrich farm that's been the site of a weeks long protest against a federal cull order says one of their birds was shot overnight.

Katie Pasitney, the daughter and spokesperson for the owners of Universal Ostrich Farm in Edgewood, B.C., took to social media Friday to announce that another bird had been shot.

“We had an incident on the farm that is being fully investigated right now as of last night,” she said in a Facebook live video.

Pasitney says that a second bird on the farm was shot in recent weeks.

She said protesters saw a large drone flying over the property late last night at around 2:30 a.m.

"And we’ve had one of our biggest, beautiful roosters that has been shot," she said.

In late March, the farm owners said they found an ostrich shot dead on their property and immediately notified authorities.

Pasitney says that the farm is working with the police.

Cpl. James Grandy of the Southeast District RCMP told Castanet the Nakusp RCMP received a report of a shot ostrich at the farm.

"As the investigation is in its early stages, I don’t have further information to provide at this time," he said.

The owners of the farm, with support of dozens of protesters camped out next to the ostriches, have refused to follow a cull order issued in December by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency after an avian flu outbreak.

A Federal Court judge upheld the decision on May 13.

The agency said Saturday that under the Health of Animals Act, if an owner refuses to meet the depopulation requirements it could move forward itself or use a third-party contractor and potentially withhold part or all compensation from the owners.

The court decision says the farm could be compensated up to $3,000 per ostrich, potentially representing a payout of about $1.2 million if all are culled.

The farm says that their birds are healthy and have developed herd immunity to the avian flu, so should be studied rather than culled. Police have been visiting the farm and protesters daily.

The farmers' cause has also been mentioned by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who told a New York radio show last month he was "horrified by the idea that they are going to kill these animals."

with files from The Canadian Press