The owners of the Universal Ostrich Farm in Edgewood were in a celebratory mood late Wednesday morning after learning the Supreme Court of Canada granted an interim stay of a cull ordered by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

The CFIA, in response to the stay from the courts, said they will remain on site at the farm and still have control of the scene. The agency also stated it is process to file an appeal.

In the meantime the CFIA said it will continue to care for the ostriches while the appeal process is carried out. The search warrants which authorized the CFIA to take control of specific properties at the ostrich farm remain in effect. There is no access to the properties under CFIA control without permission from the CFIA.

The CFIA warns anyone found trying to interfere with the birds during this time could face arrest under the Health of Animals Act.

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Early morning fire scorches haybale corral on ostrich farm

Scorch marks covered part of a large haybale wall used to corral ostriches at the Universal Ostrich Farm on Wednesday morning as the Canadian Food Inspection Agency prepared to carry out a cull of nearly 400 birds.

Supporters reported seeing smoke and flames around 4 a.m. Wednesday and shared videos online showing emergency crews extinguishing the fire. The cause and extent of the damage remain unknown, but ostriches were seen wandering behind the wall as firefighters worked.

The wall was erected Tuesday afternoon after two leading figures in the nearly nine-month ordeal were arrested.

Katie Pasitney and her mother, Karen Espersen, were seen being loaded into a police van after they claim they were just trying to feed the birds.

“We just wanted to feed our animals so that they got fed properly while there was going to be all these strangers and loud noises,” Katie Pasitney said. “We sat in the pens waiting for that confirmation. We were not looking to get arrested.”

Earlier, Pasitney had streamed a video in which an RCMP officer warned the women they would be removed by force if they refused to comply.

In a statement, RCMP confirmed the pair’s detention for obstructing agents from the CFIA from doing their jobs.

The force also addressed the slew of coordinated phone calls and negative online reviews directed at businesses protesters have learned are assisting in the cull, from fuel companies to hotels and rental businesses.

“The RCMP has also received complaints from businesses in the area of threats, intimidation and harassment due to the dispute,” said B.C. RCMP. “We are investigating these incidents and will take steps to ensure that those who unlawfully interfere with or threaten the safety of any person or property may be held accountable in accordance with the laws of Canada.”

In a Facebook live video Monday, a Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) officer handed papers to Katie Pasitney and explained what was going to happen with the property and birds over the next few days.

“[The] CFIA served us with search warrants at the fence. No emotion, no empathy, no heart.” Pasitney said.”If we do not leave the property we will be arrested then removed from the property. They have now increased our quarantine zone into three separate properties and told us that one section was a burial zone.”

In the first live video, the agent was seen explaining the “burial zone” was just a title for the area and not where the birds will be buried.

Shortly after, RCMP members were seen taping off the entrance to the farm.

In live streams starting at 4 a.m., panic washed over supporters of the farm as Pasitney said the power had been shut off to the bird enclosure and word came down of a convoy staging in Vernon.

“Here they come. Please pray for our family and our farm,” she said online before attempting to calm a suddenly agitated herd of birds. “It’s okay. It’s okay.”

Rumors had swirled for weeks about when the CFIA could descend on the farm. The agency never responded to media requests about when it would carry out the slaughter.

The property has been locked in a nine-month battle over the cull order.

The ordeal has escalated into an international controversy that has drawn support from high-ranking U.S. officials, including U.S. Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr., former TV host Dr. Mehmet Oz, and the Trump administration.

The family argues their ostriches have developed natural immunity after surviving the initial outbreak, with 251 days (as of September 22) passing without any symptoms of illness. They’ve proposed innovative solutions, including reclassifying ostriches from poultry to red meat flightless birds, which could remove them from strict poultry regulations.

The legal battle reached a crucial point during a recent appeal hearing in Ottawa in July. But in late August, the Federal Court of Appeal rejected the farm’s bid to prevent the cull, which was originally ordered by the agency last December.

The CFIA said the cull is necessary because exposed flocks create an opportunity for the virus to mutate.

On its website, the agency said “specific operational plans and dates will not be shared with the public in advance.”