Why RFK Jr. wants Canada to pardon 400 ostriches

OTTAWA — The fate of nearly 400 Canadian ostriches, which Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is trying to save, now rests with federal justices in Ottawa.

As the controversial case makes its way through court, members of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration, right-wing influencers and a Republican megadonor are urging the Liberal government to spare the ostriches that were exposed to bird flu.

“The Secretary has urged Canada not to kill the ostriches but to do further testing to try to better understand the virus,” a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services told POLITICO.

MAGA supporters and Canada’s “Freedom Convoy” — which blockaded Ottawa for weeks over Covid-19 measures — have coalesced around the cause, which they say is an example of government overreach, an erosion of institutional trust, and outdated policies.

In May, Kennedy advised Canadian officials that “significant scientific knowledge may be garnered from following the ostriches in a controlled environment.”

Mehmet Oz, Trump’s administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, even offered to house the birds at his Florida ranch. Billionaire John Catsimatidis, an active member of the “save the ostriches” campaign, has argued they have life-saving antibodies.

On Tuesday, the three men sent new letters to Prime Minister Mark Carney and his government urging them to change their policy, said Universal Ostrich Farms, which owns the ostriches. POLITICO has not seen the letters.

“I know Trump is very aware of it,” Katie Pasitney, whose parents own the British Columbia farm, said Tuesday afternoon in Ottawa. “I guess we’ll just see where that goes from here.”

In December, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency ordered a cull at the farm after tests confirmed two ostriches were infected with bird flu. Court documents show 69 birds died in December and January after the agency declared an outbreak.

Pasitney maintains the “big, beautiful ostrich eggs” contain antibodies “that have the ability to help animal and human welfare.” If the flock is killed, the farm would close, she said.

At the Federal Court of Appeal in Ottawa on Tuesday, Universal Ostrich Farms argued that the birds should be spared because they’re not sick. The ostrich owners are appealing the dismissal of their applications for judicial review, with a decision expected in the coming days.

Umar Sheikh, the lawyer representing the owners, is arguing for exemption from Canada’s “stamping out” policy, which aligns with World Health Organization standards. The policy orders the culling of birds exposed to the avian flu to stop the spread of the contagious virus.

“[About] 400 birds remain alive without symptoms,” Sheikh said in court. “This case demonstrates how rigid policy application can produce unreasonable results, and why judicial review remains essential to the rule of law.”

In court, the CFIA argued its policy mitigates risks to animal and human health, while enabling international trade. Since 2022, more than 14 million commercial and backyard birds have been culled in Canada, including more than 8.7 million in British Columbia.

Activists have set up a commune on the B.C. farm to protect the ostriches. They’ve sold bumper stickers to raise money for legal funds, and created memes featuring ostriches holding guns and drones.

“These are decades of personalities and animals that have been touched by the hands of our family, and they’ve been raised by my mom’s hands, by us as kids,” Pasitney said. “They have personalities, they’re loved beyond belief. There’s no replacing that.”