While the avian flu is wiping out entire poultry farms, one bird species is showing a unique resilience to the disease.

An active avian flu outbreak was declared Dec. 31 at an Edgewood ostrich farm.

Universal Ostrich has approximately 400 birds and is located in the Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK), east of Vernon near Arrow Lake. It is also a scientific antibody program.

President and part owner Karen Espersen confirms the farm is under quarantine with strict protocols and no birds or products leaving.

The outbreak is believed to have come from a flock of ducks that migrated to the farm.

The ostrich farm started out seeing two, three, sometimes four birds a day dying.

But the last few of days there has only been one death. And none Wednesday, which Espersen says is a good sign for the herd.

"All of our older birds are showing no signs, they aren't getting anything at all," said Espersen. "We're only at a 10 per cent loss."

It's a unique situation to the large species, which Espersen is seeing in the U.S. as well with avian flu cases.

"If it's a chicken farm they drop dead overnight," she said.

She credits the largest living dinosaur's resilience.

"That's how they have been on the earth for so many years."

Espersen's daughter attests to the situation.

"Even the ones that have been sick, if caught early are responding to treatment and getting better, they're healing themselves," said Katie Pasitney, who was raised with the ostrich for the last 34 years. "What they do is build up a herd immunity, they themselves are so strong and they will create an antibody to the flu."

It's this antibody and the unique resilience ostriches have that the farm is trying to use to study the disease and find a cure for other birds.

Working with the Kyoto Prefectural University and U.S. and Canada, the farm is gleaning the expertise of Kyoto's president Yasuhiro Tsukamoto - who calls himself Dr. Ostrich.

"High-quality antibodies have been successfully extracted from ostrich eggs by Prefectural University president Dr. Tsukamoto," the government of Japan stated in a 2022 social media post. "Ostriches are hardy animals with strong immune systems, and at 1/4000 the price of antibodies from other animals, their high-quality antibodies are easier to mass-produce, meaning they may show the way forward for the modern world, where responses to viruses like COVID-19 and the economic problems they cause are global goals." 

Espersen and her business partner Dave Bilinski are excited to hopefully work with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and the government on such groundbreaking work.

"With the immune system of the ostrich so strong this is where we wanted to take it a step further," said Espersen.

Universal Ostriches collaboration and partnership with Tsukamoto and Dr. Stu Greeburg creating Stuthio Bio Science are currently using the science and technology they have developed as a method to mass produce ostrich antibodies against the H5N1 avian influenza virus.

They have established effective infection prevention measures, with the necessary know-how already in place.

Instead of what could be devastating, they are focusing on using this as an opportunity to educate and push forward in a positive direction.

A priority would be to work with wildlife to help mitigate migratory birds carrying the virus by using their technology already created to treat areas highly populated with migratory birds, just like the ducks in their field.

"This is a chance to help curb the flight risk to avian species," said Espersen.

Not only are they planning on saving animals but Espersen says they have proposed the government to continue Tsukamoto's work in progress for a treatment for humans.

But CFIA could turn and order all the ostriches to be destroyed, a decision they say would not only devastate the farm, but science.

"We are fighting for 400 lives," said Pasitney, tears swelling in her eyes.

Instead of this being a devastating situation, the farm wants to use it as a scientific experiment that could help more birds.

"We need to mitigate the problem where it's at," said Espersen. "It's an issue that has to be discussed. If they depopulate here then the food source is irradicated and the ducks will move onto the next nearest food source, once again spreading the virus."

The approximately 350-pound ostrich wouldn't be subject to any cruelty, just further science that is already taking place at the farm.

"We see these birds have the opportunity to do something really amazing," said Pasitney, who would also like to see the ostrich antibodies used in the 300 wild ducks that took up house in one of the pens and brought the avian flu to the farm.

While the CFIA can't control wildlife and will not cull the diseased ducks, she said they could be putting the antigen into the pond where the ducks are.

"Let's curve avian flu and see if we can stop it," said Pasitney.