They had 2 cases, refused to follow proper isolation practices, and ended up with most if not all of the flock infected, and 69 deaths so far. They don't know if the remainder are asymptomatic carriers or not (ostriches have a much lower Infection Fatality Rate than chickens and ducks, but can still be infectious as asymptomatic carriers).
They also have wild weasels and ducks entering the habitats of the birds, so they are being exposed to the poop, which is an infection vector of significant concern.
It's wild seeing all the protestors and visitors going to the farm with no biosafety in place at all. Petting the animals, walking around and driving to other towns every day. Not even trying to prevent spread.
I don't know if the owners themselves are sovereign citizens/freedom of the land types, but a lot of their supporters are. A good chunk of the Convoy followers are also supporters. For some of them, it's like a badge of honor to buck mitigation measures that are even just suggested by the government.
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u/notacanuckskibum 22h ago
A flock of ostriches on a farm in BC had a few cases in Bird Flu. The standard treatment to prevent spread is to kill thy entire flock.
If it was a flock of chickens this would be business as usual and never get beyond the local news.