It has been a rough month for Summerland’s Critteraid Animal Sanctuary, but recently the animal rescue received some good news from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
In an update posted to social media on the weekend, the animal sanctuary announced that its two peacocks tested negative after a recent avian flu outbreak at the refuge, exempting them from a CFIA euthanasia order.
“Every step, every protocol, every biosecurity measure we already had in place was validated,” stated the post.
“Because of that, our beautiful peacocks, Jake and Nicolaj, were not exposed and are now exempt and safe.”
The news of the peacocks being spared comes after the sanctuary posted online in mid-November its plea to the CFIA to reconsider its euthanasia order for the peacocks.
The farm had already dealt with the death of 10 chickens and five ducks because of the outbreak, but explained that its peacocks were always kept separate from flu-impacted birds.
“These birds have been completely isolated from the lower areas of the sanctuary and from all waterfowl,” stated a portion of the letter that was posted online in November.
“They are not waterfowl species and therefore do not share the same exposure risk factors associated with avian influenza transmission in aquatic environments. Their enclosure is located a significant distance from the affected zones, with no shared food, water sources, or direct contact with other birds under restriction.”
The weekend update also shared the steps the sanctuary took to make the exemption possible and said that it will be putting together a “detailed package outlining the procedures, requirements, and timelines we went through” for other organizations dealing with similar outbreaks.
"We are all in this together, and if our experience can help even one organization protect their animals, it will be worth it," explained the weekend update.
Critteraid Animal Sanctuary has since reopened and will not be sharing any more updates online about the matter.
Thumbnail photo courtesy of Critteraid Animal Sanctuary/Facebook
