10 ostriches destroyed after being found dead or injured in Vietnam’s Tay Ninh

The provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment on Monday afternoon reported the handling of the 10 ostriches to the provincial People's Committee.

Local residents discovered a group of ostriches on an empty plot along Road 837B in 7 Met Hamlet, Tan Thanh Commune in the early hours of Sunday.

Authorities said the situation appeared unusual as the animals had no known owner and unclear origin.

The head of 7 Met Hamlet reported the case to the Tan Thanh Commune authorities, and by 8:30 am the same day, local authorities, in coordination with the Tan Thanh Veterinary Station, conducted an on-site inspection.

The inspection confirmed a total of 10 ostriches weighing between 85kg and 120kg each.

Six birds were already dead, showing signs of having been tied at the legs and sustaining multiple injuries to the head, neck, and body.

Two others were severely injured, extremely weak, unable to move, and later died at the scene.

The remaining two were highly agitated and ran onto Road 837B.

Authorities concluded that the ostriches had no identifiable owner, could not be traced, and did not meet veterinary hygiene or environmental safety requirements.

They also posed potential risks to traffic safety and animal disease control efforts in the area.

Initial clinical checks on the dead and surviving ostriches did not show clear signs of highly dangerous infectious diseases.

However, due to their unknown origin, multiple deaths and serious injuries, and their presence in a public area, authorities determined that full destruction was necessary to ensure disease control, veterinary safety, and environmental protection.

The Tan Thanh Veterinary Station instructed local authorities to mobilize personnel, equipment, and protective gear to collect and dispose of all 10 ostriches by burning and burial, in compliance with veterinary hygiene and environmental safety standards.

Disinfection measures were also carried out in the area and surrounding zones to reduce the risk of disease spread and environmental contamination.

The Department of Agriculture and Environment has urged the provincial administration to request the Tan Thanh Commune authorities to continue monitoring the burial site to ensure it is properly sealed, preventing odor, leakage, or disturbance by animals.

The commune authorities were also instructed to continue investigating the origin of the ostriches.

If any organization or individual is found transporting, abandoning, or disposing of sick, dead, or unidentified animals that pose environmental or disease risks, they will be handled in accordance with regulations.

Veterinary authorities also urged public awareness, advising residents to immediately report any unusual cases of dead, sick, injured, or unidentified animals, and not to slaughter, transport, consume, or dispose of animal carcasses in the environment without authorization.