U.S. billionaire is helping fund fight against B.C. ostrich cull
Global News
A U.S. billionaire and avid supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump says he is helping fund the legal battle against a cull of 400 B.C. ostriches after an avian flu outbreak.
A New York billionaire who is an avid supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump says he is helping fund the legal battle by a British Columbia ostrich farm against an order to cull their flock of about 400 birds after an avian flu outbreak.
John Catsimatidis says he and a friend have contributed about US$35,000 to the legal fight by Universal Ostrich Farms in Edgewood in B.C.’s Interior, to stop the cull ordered by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Catsimatidis says in an interview that he heard about the farm when the co-owner’s daughter, Katie Pasitney, called the New York radio station that he owns, and Americans are getting involved in the case because they care about the animals.
He says the more he heard about the situation at the farm, the more interested he became, causing him to reach out to U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and fellow U.S. health official Dr. Mehmet Oz, both of whom say the birds should be spared.
Catsimatidis, whom Trump has called a longtime friend, says the president is also aware of the case, which Kennedy has raised with him.
He says if the roles were reversed, he would not have a problem with a wealthy Canadian attempting to exert influence on U.S. policy.
“I think the Canadian people and the people of the United States are one people. We depend on each other. We’ve always depended on each other, and we have to help each other, because we’re in the same boat,” he said.
He called the ostriches iconic, ancient animals that deserve to live.
