United States health official Dr. Mehmet Oz says about 400 ostriches at a British Columbia farm facing an avian flu cull should instead be saved and sent to America to learn potential "secrets" that have helped them survive an outbreak of the disease.
The former TV personality and surgeon who is now the administrator of the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services told a New York radio show that he's been in touch with Universal Ostrich Farms since a Federal Court Of Appeal ruling last week that upheld a cull ordered by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Oz has previously offered to house the birds at his Florida ranch and he told radio host John Catsimatidis on Sunday that the offer still stands, if Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will allow it.
He says studying the birds could give insights that help fight a potential future avian flu pandemic among humans.
The lawyer for the farm in Edgewood in the B.C. Interior said last week that the farm's owners will seek a stay of the cull order that was first issued in December and he was hoping to appeal the case to the Supreme Court of Canada.
A total of 69 birds died at the farm in December and January, and while the farmers say the flock is now healthy, the CFIA says the cull is necessary because exposed flocks create an opportunity for the virus to mutate.
Oz says the birds are past the infection and "they have secrets in them that we can learn from, and it makes perfect sense for America and Canada to co-operate on this."
He told Catsimatidis that he has spoken to other U.S. health officials including Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health, about his plan.
"We are all excited about learning enough about what's going on that we might be able to transfer that knowledge back to Canada and the rest of the planet," he said.
Katie Pasitney, the spokeswoman for the farm whose mother is a co-owner, has urged supporters to converge on the property to protect the ostriches.
The CFIA last week referred questions about the ruling and the cull to a statement which said it does not release details about operations at individual farms "to help protect the privacy of producers." It said "operational plans and dates" would not be shared with the public in advance.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 25, 2025.
The Canadian Press
