A juvenile ostrich cocks their head while peering through a fence into the camera at an ostrich farm. Undisclosed location, Kajiado, Kenya, 2026.
Mical Gia / We Animals
When We Animals photojournalist Mical Gia visited an ostrich farm in Kenya, she found animals being used for visitors’ entertainment, marketed under the guise of “eco-tourism.”
This farm is the largest ostrich farm in East Africa, with around 1,000 of the iconic birds. The farm primarily raises the animals for food, with approximately 95 percent of its revenue coming from ostrich-meat sales. However, the farm also markets itself as a tourist experience and offers visitors the chance to ride ostriches, a practice that can cause not only stress and fear but also significant health problems and pain.
“I was struck by the extent to which the ostriches were used for tourism activities throughout the day. I observed one ostrich giving rides to more than 40 children with little apparent downtime between rides.” — Mical Gia, photojournalist
Ostriches stand in an enclosure at an ostrich farm. Ostriches of different ages are kept in separate enclosures. Undisclosed location, Kajiado, Kenya, 2026.
Mical Gia / We Animals
A male ostrich is controlled by handlers while being used to give rides to students at an ostrich farm. Undisclosed location, Kajiado, Kenya, 2026.
Mical Gia / We Animals
As the International Fund for Animal Welfare notes, although it is possible to ride an ostrich, the practice is unsafe for humans and animals.
A young person grips a saddled ostrich’s feathers to maintain balance during a ride at an ostrich farm. The bird has visible patches of feather loss on their chest. Undisclosed location, Kajiado, Kenya, 2026.
Mical Gia / We Animals
“Ostriches don’t carry any weight on their backs in the wild, so their bodies are damaged by these uncomfortable and painful practices. As ostriches can become violent when under stress or threat, this also makes ostrich riding potentially dangerous for humans.” — International Fund for Animal Welfare
The practice becomes even more problematic when it’s used to draw in visitors who can then buy the products of slaughtered animals, including meat, feathers and leathered skin.
Welfare concerns in ostrich farming
A World Animal Protection investigation into Kenya’s wildlife farming industry reports that ostriches suffer significantly in farming, with the stressful handling of chicks increasing their sensitivity and fear of humans.
“Farming practices such as feather pulling, handling, inspection, and transportation cause pain and suffering. Gastric impaction, where indigestible material accumulates in the stomach, is also a major issue for farmed ostriches, leading to blockages, malnutrition, and often death. Contributing factors include poor diet, environmental management, and limited grazing in intensive systems. Leg deformities and fractures are also common.” — World Animal Protection
A student rides a saddled male ostrich manoeuvred by three handlers in a fenced enclosure at an ostrich farm. Patches of bare skin are visible on the bird’s chest and neck. Undisclosed location, Kajiado, Kenya, 2026.
Mical Gia / We Animals
Ostrich chicks look out from a fenced enclosure at an ostrich farm in Kenya. Ostriches of different ages are kept in separate enclosures. Undisclosed location, Kajiado, Kenya, 2026.
Mical Gia / We Animals
Female ostriches walk inside an enclosure in an ostrich farm in Kenya. Ostriches of different ages are kept in separate enclosures. Undisclosed location, Kajiado, Kenya, 2026.
Mical Gia / We Animals
Ostriches can live up to 35 years in the wild and up to 70 years in domestic environments, but our photojournalist was informed that this farm slaughters ostriches for meat when they’re as young as nine months old. This is fairly in line with other farms, because ostriches become less profitable as they keep consuming food but don’t gain much more flesh on their bodies. They are also more tender when slaughtered younger.
Sensitive prey animals who need room to run
As the world’s fastest two-legged animal, ostriches are natural runners. They thrive in vast spaces rather than farming enclosures. Because they are prey animals, they’re highly sensitive to their environments and can quickly display signs of stress. They don’t crave interaction with humans, who they—rightly, in this case—see as predators.
A juvenile ostrich drinks water in a group enclosure at an ostrich farm. Undisclosed location, Kajiado, Kenya, 2026.
Mical Gia / We Animals
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