After days of mounting outrage over footage that appeared to show Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) officials neglecting and faking care for a dying ostrich named Spirit, Universal Ostrich Farms’ veterinarian, Dr. Kamil Svancara, was finally granted access to check on the farm’s herd, which remains seized by the agency.

The visit marks the first time anyone the farmers trust has been allowed near their flock since the CFIA banned them from seeing their otherwise healthy animals, which the agency still aims to cull due to an avian flu that swept through the herd late last year.

While the cull has been temporarily paused pending the Supreme Court’s decision on whether the farm has presented a strong enough case to challenge the order to kill their recovered flock, concerns over CFIA overreach continue to grow.

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Dr. Svancara, who travelled from the Lower Mainland, was there to assess the overall condition of the herd — particularly multiple ostriches with special needs, like Spirit once had, after low-flying RCMP drones spooked her and caused her to injure her leg.

Betsy, a hen suffering from osteoarthritis in her knee, was able to receive treatment from Dr. Svancara, but he was unable to locate the other birds of concern.

Rebel News was on-site to obtain statements from Dr. Svancara and farmers Karen Espersen and Katie Pasitney, both of whom expressed gratitude that the CFIA appeared to have finally begun feeding the herd properly, yet disappointment over being denied the opportunity to obtain blood samples from the birds they know are healthy and asymptomatic.

They were also shocked, though not surprised, to learn that the CFIA, the very agency tasked with upholding animal health, is incapable of administering the medical protocol Betsy requires for proper care, and instead asked their veterinarian, who had travelled all the way from the Lower Mainland, if he could return to do so.