BUSTED: Footage appears to catch CFIA officials faking care for dying ostrich
As mainstream media outlets stay silent, more viral footage adds to Edgewood, B.C., farmers' claims that the CFIA's actions have crossed the line from authoritative to cruel.
Allegations of animal cruelty continue after footage that appears to show Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) officials pretending to administer life-saving electrolytes to an injured ostrich named Spirit went viral.
The incident is the latest development in the ongoing standoff between the multi-family-run Universal Ostrich Farms and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. The agency has seized their avian-flu-recovered flock of ostriches with the aim of killing them after two deceased birds tested positive for the illness last December.
On September 22, while the CFIA descended on the Edgewood, B.C., farm to take jurisdiction over the herd of 400, low-flying RCMP drones spooked the prehistoric creatures, which the farmers say caused Spirit to harm herself from running full speed into a fence.
Co-farm owner Karen Espersen did her best to care for the hen but called on the CFIA to send a veterinarian to assist — something she says the agency didn’t achieve until two days later.
Both Karen and her adult daughter, Katie Pasitney, were later arrested for continuing to care for their animals while the CFIA began preparations to set up a “kill box” to herd the flock to slaughter.
Before the agency could proceed, however, the farm’s lawyer Umar Sheikh, whose services are being provided through crowdfunding by supporters, secured a last-minute stay order, which has paused the cull pending the Supreme Court’s decision on whether the farm will be allowed to pursue its challenge to the legitimacy of killing the healthy flock.
Nevertheless, the agency has continued to bar the farmers from their animals, which prompted the farmers to encourage the agency to properly care for Spirit, including providing her with electrolytes to prevent dehydration.
On Friday, outrage sparked after leaked footage showed a severely deteriorating Spirit, suffering a slow death with no officials in site.
Calls for justice heightened two days later, when footage Rebel News obtained from a supporter camping on the farm appeared to have caught CFIA officials pretending to administer the life-saving electrolytes to the hen, who the CFIA since announced has died.
Farm co-owner Dave Bilinski broke down when he discussed learning the treatment of Spirit, who he had helped raise for more than 20 years. “She was more to us than a pet” he stated between tears.
The mainstream media at large is ignoring evidence supporting the farmers claims that the agency neglected Spirit leading up to her death. Rebel News remains embedded at Universal Ostrich Farms to bring you the truth the mainstream media won’t show.
To help us continue our coverage or follow the latest developments in this story, visit SaveTheOstriches.com.
Drea Humphrey
B.C. Bureau Chief
Based in British Columbia, Drea Humphrey reports on Western Canada for Rebel News. Drea’s reporting is not afraid to challenge political correctness, or ask the tough questions that mainstream media tends to avoid.
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COMMENTS
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Bruce Atchison commented 2025-10-06 21:26:34 -0400Pierre Poilievre should have said much more about the ostrich situation. It isn’t just Liberal incompetence but government overreach. If those ostriches are destroyed, livestock and pets will be next. We know how the wacko greens want us to eat bugs instead of meat. The CFIA could cull cattle if mad cow disease breaks out. We don’t want these detached bureaucrats running our affairs.
