A comic melodrama has been unfolding in the backwoods of the B.C. Okanagan. It involves all the usual theatre elements — a heroic farmer against an evil government oppressor, valiant supporters willing to lay down their lives to stop enforcers from carrying out their despicable intentions and, of course, a white knight from faraway coming to the rescue. Read More
A comic melodrama has been unfolding in the backwoods of the B.C. Okanagan. It involves all the usual theatre elements — a heroic farmer against an evil government oppressor, valiant supporters willing to lay down their lives to stop enforcers from carrying out their despicable intentions and, of course, a white knight from faraway coming
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A comic melodrama has been unfolding in the backwoods of the B.C. Okanagan. It involves all the usual theatre elements — a heroic farmer against an evil government oppressor, valiant supporters willing to lay down their lives to stop enforcers from carrying out their despicable intentions and, of course, a white knight from faraway coming to the rescue.
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What makes it somewhat preposterous is that this spectacle involves the fate of 400 ostriches. This has entangled the bedraggled taxpayer, who is footing the bill to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars in government legal costs, numerous federal bureaucrats’ time and local law enforcement attention.
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The issue began when the ostriches contracted the H5N1 avian flu virus, and 69 were euthanized by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, which wanted the remaining flock also culled. This is a standard procedure for controlling avian flu. That process has seen poultry euthanized by the hundreds of millions across North America.
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Noon News Roundup
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No one seems upset when all those unfortunate chickens are terminated, most of whom may not have had avian flu. However, chickens are small, unassuming creatures that have been part of the food supply for millenniums. Six-foot ostriches are a lot more majestic than the lowly chicken. They also have long eyelashes and large brown eyes that make them rather striking to humans. Their large stature, speed, crankiness and strength also make them rather intimidating.
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In the hope of saving their ostriches, the owners fought the CFIA destruction order through the courts, which has been moderately successful in delaying the inevitable. In a stroke of genius, they began to plead their case in the court of public opinion, also known as social media.
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That instigated empathetic protesters to block a possible surreptitious ostrich seizure by CFIA enforcers. As luck would have it, that extensive publicity caught the attention of the U.S. Secretary of Health Robert Kennedy Jr. and a celebrity by the name of Dr. Oz, who is also a U.S. government official appointed by President Donald Trump.
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These alleged experts wanted to relocate the remaining ostriches to the U.S. for research into their levels of immunity and antibodies. Stranger things have been done, but it does come from the Trump government.
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As expected, CFIA bureaucrats refused the official U.S. request and instead enforced their authority by slamming a $20,000 fine on the owners. The CFIA wants the doomed ostriches disposed of quickly, but there are problems.
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Ostriches are big, strong and difficult to handle. Mass shooting would be messy, and burying them on-site would have horrendous PR consequences. The local landfill has stated they don’t want 400 ostrich carcasses. I suspect the local RCMP would also rather not deal with a media-savvy horde of angry, outraged, protesting ostrich lovers.
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