An American billionaire has vowed to step in and help fund a British Columbia ostrich farm's legal battle against the federal government, which is seeking the slaughter of nearly 400 birds.Red Apple Group CEO John Catsimatidis has been a vocal supporter of Universal Ostrich Farm, and said he'd do what he can to ensure the bills are paid off."I will find out what is necessary, and I will lobby some of my friends to write a cheque," he told CTV News. "To slaughter them like a bunch of chickens, a bunch of poultry — it just horrifies me."According to Katie Pasitney, spokeswoman for the farm and daughter of co-owner Karen Espersen, the legal fees are likely to surpass $500,000. "This is going to be a financial burden that our family will carry forward for over years if we can't pay that off," she said..Catsimatidis has helped bring attention to the issue, getting Dr. Oz and American Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. involved. The trio have sought a "diplomatic meeting with Canadian officials" about the fate of the ostriches. Catsimatidis recently spoke with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Ontario Premier Doug Ford, calling on them to get Prime Minister Mark Carney to intervene..Premiers Smith, Ford express support for BC ostrich flock at risk of being slaughtered by feds."I've talked to John many times about these ostriches," Ford said during a press conference. "I'm an animal lover and I wanna do everything I can to help them. Anything John needs, I'm always there to support him."The fate of the flock is currently in the hands of the Federal Court of Appeal, where judges have heard arguments from the farm against culling their beloved birds. Justice Mary Gleason has stated that she and her two fellow judges will hand down their decision soon..The saga began in December 2024, when an avian flu outbreak was declared at the farm. Espersen said she believed the disease was brought to their property by a flock of migrating ducks, who took shelter in the barn.Initially, the farm saw as many as four ostriches dying per day, but eventually the deaths petered out. Pasitney said this was evidence that the birds had acquired herd immunity.Nonetheless, when the Canadian Food Inspection Agency got wind of the outbreak in December, they sent a team out to investigate, and after testing two carcasses, determined that the entire herd had to be culled. This was incomprehensible to the owners and their families, who had developed strong relationships with each individual bird.
