"Let them live. They don't deserve to die, they didn't do anything."

Those were the whispered words of 13-year-old Joselynn, a brave Fraser Valley teen who has made headlines as Canada’s first confirmed human case of H5N1 avian influenza.

The previously unnamed teen and her family travelled to Universal Ostrich Farms in Edgewood, B.C., this past weekend to become part of the growing stand against government overreach being sold to the people as a necessity for public health.

The farm is home to nearly 400 healthy, likely avian flu-immune ostriches involved in an antibody research program the farmers say has neutralized COVID-19 and is making great strides toward doing the same for avian influenza.

Despite that, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has been hell-bent on killing the exotic birds. The farmers have taken every lawful measure available to prevent the enforcement of a cull order issued back in December. That order followed tests—using the controversial PCR method—on just two deceased ostriches, after which the agency declared the illness, which the majority of birds survived, to be avian flu.

The media has often coupled Joselynn's story with the 8.7 million birds culled in B.C. since 2022.

But no more. Joselynn and her family, standing alongside ostriches and grassroots supporters camped out in protest at the farm, are making sure her story is no longer used to justify the CFIA's planned cull. In doing so, they also revealed important details of her case that have been largely ignored by mainstream media outlets.

Such as: How did Joselynn catch the bird flu when she wasn't near any birds?

Why does the state want to destroy these healthy birds, whose antibodies could hold the key to preventing mass culls in the future, when Joselynn, who has recovered just like them, is having her blood routinely tested for research based out of Ontario?

And should the illness of a dog the family was caring for—coinciding with the onset of Joselynn's illness—really be dismissed as unrelated?

The puppy became so unwell with an unrelated illness that it suffered seizures and was eventually put down just a few days after Joselynn was admitted to the hospital.

"The autopsy was done, and it had inflammation in the brain, and it had multiple seizures," Joselynn's mother told Rebel News. "October 26th is when we got the dog, and it was put down November 9th, I believe."

"I want to thank all of the staff at BC Children's Hospital for all their hard work," added her mother, Meghann.

After her transfer to BC Children’s Hospital, her case was confirmed to be H5N1—a subtype of avian flu—though doctors initially did not suspect it.

"There was no 'clear flag' initially indicating that Joselynn had H5N1," said Dr. David Goldfarb, a microbiologist and infectious disease physician at BC Children's. "The initial influenza tests that the child was screened for came back negative for all."

"I called my colleague at the B.C. Centre for Disease Control and arranged for urgent testing for the H5N1 test... and we had that result by the evening of the admission to our hospital," Goldfarb told the CBC. "The result was positive and was the first human case of H5N1 in Canada."

Medical interventions used to save Joselynn left her with vocal cord damage that doctors hope to repair with surgery. For now, she can only whisper. But this week, that whisper carried weight.

"I don't think the birds should die," Joselynn said softly. "Let them live. They don't deserve to die, they didn't do anything."

Her words echo a growing chorus of public, legal, and political pressure urging the CFIA to back off.

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently sent a formal letter to Canadian authorities calling on them to stop the cull and allow the birds to be studied for their natural immunity to avian flu. In his words: "I'm horrified that they are going to kill these animals."

Dr. Mehmet Oz, former Trump health official and TV personality, has gone a step further, offering his 900-acre Florida ranch as a sanctuary for the ostriches if Canada allows them to leave.

"We're sticking our necks out for the birds," Oz told the New York Post. "The Canadians should stop putting their heads in the sand."

Back in Edgewood, the legal battle continues. Following the farmers' notice of appeal, the CFIA agreed to a temporary pause on the cull while the farmers prepare to file a stay motion. The cull order still technically stands and could be enforced at any time.

The farmers and their supporters are crowdfunding a legal battle to secure a full stay on the order, and Rebel News remains committed to covering every step of this precedent-setting case of public resistance to government overreach.

This is a developing story. To help cover the costs involved in keeping you informed on it—and to send a pre-written email to the CFIA asking them to find a better way—go to SaveTheOstriches.com.

Please help Rebel News send Drea to report on the cruel ostrich cull in Edgewood, B.C.

A shocking government-ordered ostrich cull is underway in Canada, leaving devastated farmers and outraged citizens demanding answers. The mainstream media refuses to tell the full story, but Rebel News is sending Drea Humphrey to report from the ground and expose the truth. Independent journalism like this depends on your support. Please donate here to help cover Drea's travel costs to get to and from the ostrich farm in Edgewood, British Columbia.

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