Scott Weese, DVM, recaps the bird flu fiasco on a British Columbia ostrich farm. The incident shared in his article underscores the importance of mandated reporting for all producers, regardless of species.
“A producer’s errant choice went from an issue with one group of infected birds to having a convoy on the (quarantined) farm, massive misinformation, dodgy “media” stirring up hate, threats to experts and people doing their jobs, massive fundraising and grift, all largely by people who likely don’t care whatsoever about those ostriches,” writes Weese.
Source: Worms and Germs, November 7, 2025. Link.
Raising birds outdoors isn’t bad, it just creates risk that any farm needs to accept. And when it results in disease, there are consequences.”
INSIGHTS: Avoidance is a common reaction when an animal or two dies on a farm of any size. But, in the current surveillance situation, when poultry and cattle are involved, reporting remains critical for disease prevention despite fewer tracking resources <Link>. Local animal health pros’ efforts to educate producers and identify suspect H5N1 infections are needed this fall.
NOTE: HUFFPOST, November 7, 2025. Link. Bird flu cases are on the rise across the country as wild flocks migrate south for the winter, mingling with domestic poultry farms and backyard birds as they go. As of November 7th, bird flu has been confirmed in 67 flocks across the country in the last 30 days, leading to the deaths of 3.72 million birds across commercial and backyard flocks; a significant rise compared to August.