SURREY — Mounties in British Columbia have set off separate investigations that may be connected to the cull of hundreds of ostriches last week.
Police said Monday that they are looking into a report of vandalism at a Canadian Food Inspection Agency location in Kelowna, B.C., where photos of the front of the office show an expletive written in brown material thought to be feces.
The inspection agency carried out the cull of about 300 birds in Edgewood, B.C., late Thursday after months of legal challenges by the owners to stop the killings set off by an avian flu infection within the flock.
Police say they are also looking at aerial footage of the ostrich pen where a no-fly zone was put in place by Transport Canada, restricting drones and aircraft from flying above the farm.
Rebel News, which published the video last week, did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the footage which showed bodies of ostriches within a hay enclosure the morning after the cull.
RCMP spokesman Staff Sgt. Kris Clark said in an email response that police are aware of the drone footage and an investigation is ongoing.
“No enforcement has occurred at this time with respect to the notice to airmen that remains in place,” Clark said.
No further details on either the drone footage or the vandalism at the CFIA office have been made available by police.
In a video posted on Facebook on Monday, the ostrich farm’s spokeswoman said the cull “is not the end” of the farm’s fight against the federal agency, vowing to push forward “so that our animals’ voices continue to march ahead and lead this fight to a victory.”
Katie Pasitney did not specify in the video message what the farm is planning for the next step of its fight.
“This is just the beginning,” Pasitney said, while thanking the farm’s supporters.
“The fight just began, my loves,” she told supporters in the video. “So, let’s stand together strong in unity and remember we are stronger together.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 10, 2025.
The Canadian Press
