After an avian flu outbreak at an Ostrich farm in British Columbia, the Canadian government informed the farm that it had to cull the infected ostriches – at least 400 animals in total. But it wasn’t the ostriches’ fault that humans had crammed them in farmed conditions where diseases run rampant.
Canadians and Americans alike protested the order to kill the infected birds. Luckily, top Canadian court has temporarily halted the culling.
But the root of the problem remains: ostrich farming should not be legal in Canada. Sign the petition now to tell the Canadian Parliament: ban fashion/factory farming of ostriches!
Ostriches, while native to Africa, are still unfortunately farmed throughout North America. In Canada, these animals are farmed not only for their meat, but also for their leather and feathers, as well as for their natural oils. These elements are all extracted from their bodies for use in the fashion industry as well as by cosmetics companies.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. As animal rights advocates have been saying for decades: why are we still cruelly farming and exploiting animals when there are so many alternative, non-animal based products we could use instead?
The more we keep avian animals captive, the more Zoonotic diseases will continue to spread. And as a result, the more farmers and legislators will be forced to make incredibly difficult decisions about which animals to cull and how to protect others from the spread of devastating diseases like avian flu. We have to keep both animals and humans safe from this horrible cycle!
The only way to actually address this problem is to end the outdated and awful practice of ostrich farming for good. Sign the petition now if you agree!
This article by Nicholas Vincent was first published by One Green Planet on 31 October 2025. Lead Image Credit: Tanya Keisha/Shutterstock.
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