Ostriches are farmed primarily in South Africa for leather, feathers, and meat, raising welfare concerns around handling stress, social disruption, and slaughter methods for birds with strong flight responses.
Ostrich welfare is significantly shaped by their inherent stress response to handling. As animals evolved for flight from predators rather than confrontation, ostriches find restraint and handling among the most aversive experiences possible. Stress-related cardiac events cause sudden deaths during routine husbandry procedures. Feather harvesting while birds are alive causes acute distress. Transportation to slaughter involves handling procedures that ostriches find highly aversive. In camp systems, ostriches have more space than many farmed animals, but the lack of welfare certification for ostrich production means consumers cannot verify conditions at point of purchase. The luxury positioning of ostrich leather does not reflect any welfare standard.