why are they killing ostriches

Ostriches are being killed at a farm in British Columbia, Canada, due to an outbreak of avian influenza (avian flu) that was first detected in their flock last December. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) ordered the cull of about 400 ostriches to prevent the spread of a more lethal strain of the virus, which has already caused the death of 69 ostriches on the farm. The CFIA follows international guidelines for managing avian flu cases in commercial poultry operations, which include ostrich farms, and considers that keeping the surviving birds poses a risk of the virus persisting, mutating, or spreading to other animals or humans. The farm owners have been fighting the cull order through multiple court challenges, claiming the birds have developed herd immunity and insisting the ostriches have scientific and genetic value worth preserving. They and some supporters, including notable U.S. health figures, have argued to spare the birds and even proposed relocating them to the U.S. for research. However, courts have consistently ruled in favor of the CFIA's authority to order the cull. Recently, the Supreme Court of Canada granted an interim stay on the cull, temporarily halting the killing while the farm's owners appeal the decision. The CFIA maintains custody of the ostriches during this period under veterinary supervision, with the situation still unfolding legally and publicly amid protests and arrests of farm representatives resisting the cull.