At least 400 ostriches will be killed in Canada over bird flu concerns. A court ruled last week for all of the flock to be euthanized. But one celebrity is begging the Canadian government to toss aside the ruling.
Dr. Oz, a popular TV physician, is making a last-ditch attempt to save the bird. He argues that the ostriches may have contracted the bird flu, but the flock in question survived the virus. He argues that the flock should be studied to determine how they managed to beat the virus, not slaughtered due to containment protocols.
"Maybe they've got secrets that can help other birds [and] more importantly, humans," Dr. Mehmet Oz said on the 770 WABC radio program, "Cats Roundtable."
Save The Ostriches?
This comes after Canada ruled last week that its Food Inspection Agency could euthanize hundreds of ostriches to prevent the further spread of the bird flu virus. Right now, that case has been appealed to the highest court in the country.
"How is it that all these birds survived this horrible illness?" Oz said. "They have secrets in them that we can learn from, and it makes perfect sense for America and Canada to cooperate on this — we can do all kinds of research."
Instead of killing the birds, Oz proposes transporting the ostriches to America. He even offered them sanctuary at his Florida ranch if Canada would agree to do so.
"This is the kind of thing you should do if you're truly a curious person. And the MAHA [Make America Healthy Again] movement is about being curious," Oz zaid. "A curious person would say, 'Can we learn from these birds?' The answer is yes. A courageous person would find a way to get them to America. And a compassionate person would share the wisdom."
So what's up with the ostriches? Well, on an ostrich farm in Edgewood, British Columbia, 69 birds died after contracting bird flu in December. However, the rest of the flock managed to beat the avian virus and even recover fully from it. Still, government officials are concerned the virus may mutate and spread so they've ordered containment via death.
