I’m truly disgusted at the method used to dispatch over 300 ostriches on a remote farm in BC, Canada.
I am not at all opposed to hunting. I’m not even opposed to the need for culling, when justified. It’s the brutality of the chosen method in this case I am vehemently opposed to.
The unique physiology of ostriches presents a problem in conducting mass slaughter humanely, but clearly humane dispatch wasn’t a priority.
They were simply penned in, en masse, with repeated volleys of gunfire raining down from an elevated position. Like shooting fish in a barrel.
Over 300 tall, powerful, terrified birds, stampeding for their lives. Seeing and hearing each other killed in a fury of feathers and blood, with wounded animals writhing in agony in the mud.
It was neither humane nor quick. It was a slow torturous death. Logistically, I have trouble believing they could even ensure suffering animals were put out of their misery.
CFIA, the Canadian inspection authority overseeing this cull had a long ramp-up to this point. Nearly a year, and this was the best they could dream up.
RCMP was roped into the fray as enforcers, to block the owners and concerned citizens from witnessing, but not from hearing, the bloodbath. So now community trust in RCMP has been eroded irreparably.
Absolutely shameful, Canada. This unmitigated shitshow is a stain on your beautiful country. You need to do better.
My heart goes out to those who owned and worked these animals, and to the reporters who stayed through the night keeping vigil, comforting heartbroken witnesses, and getting the story out.
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@DreaHumphrey @RebelNews_CA @chrisdacey