Washington DC - Health Secretary and TV star Dr. Oz are fighting to save hundreds of ostriches possibly carrying bird flu from being killed.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (r.) and Dr. Oz are fighting to save hundreds of ostriches that have been ordered to be killed to prevent a possible spread of bird flu. © Collage: Mandel NGAN / AFP, IMAGO / Hohlfeld, & Anna Moneymaker / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP
According to , the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) recently ordered more than 300 ostriches at the Universal Ostrich farm in Edgewood, British Columbia, to be killed after a number died from H5N1, a strain of bird flu.
The agency has argued the move would "minimize impacts on the $6.8 billion domestic poultry industry and Canada's economy."
The farm's owner, Karen Espersen, is now suing the government. Court documents reveal that while she has conceded that 69 of her birds have died of the flu, the remaining are free of the virus and do not deserve to be killed.
The story has gotten the attention of US billionaire animal rights advocate John Catsimatidis, who has teamed up with RFK Jr. and Dr. Oz to convince the Canadian government not to go through with it.
In a recent , RFK suggested the US and Canada collaborate on a "long-term study" of the flock to "expand our knowledge of their immune response to Avian Flu," which he believes will "lead to the development of new vaccines and therapeutics."
Espersen also claimed that Dr. Oz suggested she have the ostriches moved to his 900-acre ranch in Okeechobee, Florida.
Catsimatidis recently told , "I'm thrilled. Bring the ostriches to Dr. Oz in Florida, where they will be safe."
