British ColumbiaPolice say helicopters buzzing over a British Columbia ostrich farm are unrelated to the “ongoing situation” at the farm, where the flock faces a cull due to avian flu outbreak.Police say the helicopters are from a Penticton, B.C., flight school conducting night trainingThe Canadian Press · Posted: Sep 19, 2025 6:36 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 hours agoThe Canadian Food Inspection Agency has order the cull of about 400 ostriches at Universal Ostrich Farm in Edgewood, B.C. (Aaron Hemens/The Canadian Press)Police say helicopters buzzing over a British Columbia ostrich farm facing the cull of its flock over an avian flu outbreak are unrelated to the “ongoing situation” at the farm.RCMP Staff Sgt. Kris Clark said police are aware of the flyovers, which the spokesperson for Universal Ostrich Farms described as “psychological warfare” as the farm waits for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to begin the cull.A video posted on social media by the farm in Edgewood, B.C., this week appears to show a helicopter swoop low over the property at night. Read more about the background of this case: How the fate of a herd of ostriches on a small B.C. farm caught the attention of the Trump administration. But Clark said police determined that low-flying helicopters seen near the farm are from a Penticton, B.C., flight school conducting night training in the use of a spotlight.The farm has been calling on supporters to gather at the property this weekend ahead of the CFIA-ordered cull of about 400 ostriches, although the agency has said it will not release details or timing of any operation.WATCH | Expert discusses the ostrich cull order: Why hundreds of B.C. ostriches were ordered to be culled | Hanomansing TonightAngela Rasmussen, a virologist at the University of Saskatchewan, says the decision to cull 400 ostriches at a southern B.C. farm is ‘the best way to reduce transmission’ to humans and other animals. This comes after Universal Ostrich Farms lost its case to save the birds from a cull order issued by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.Farm spokesperson Katie Pasitney said in a Facebook post that she doesn’t want visitors to be “aggressive” but added a “last stand” is needed to witness the fate of the ostriches, which the inspection agency said pose an ongoing risk.The farm’s owners said the birds are healthy and a valuable scientific resource.The farm lost bids to stop the cull in Federal Court and the Federal Court of Appeal, and last week was denied another stay of the cull order while it prepares to apply for leave to go to the Supreme Court of Canada, an application that must be made by Oct. 3.
Helicopters flying over B.C. ostrich farm are unrelated to cull, says RCMP
