OTTAWA — The Supreme Court plucked the last hope for survival of the now-famous flock of nearly 400 B.C. ostriches whose owner was hoping to save from being culled by the federal food inspection agency.

On Thursday morning, Canada’s top court declined to hear the final appeal from Universal Ostrich Farms of a series of lower court decisions confirming that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) had fairly determined the flock of exotic birds needed to be culled.

The court does not issue reasons for its decisions on applications for leave to appeal.

Within minutes of the decision, the CFIA confirmed in a statement that it would be going forward with a “complete depopulation” of the flock linked to an outbreak of avian influenza on the farm in December 2024.

The virus killed 69 of

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