Ostrich Cull Looms at BC Farm: Arrests Made as Standoff Continues
An ostrich flock at the Universal Ostrich Farm in Edgewood, BC, which has attracted international attention, is facing an imminent cull. On Tuesday, RCMP arrested two individuals, but the names have not been released. The situation remains tense as the farm owners continue to resist the cull order.
Arrests at the Farm
Staff Sgt. Kris Clark with BC RCMP confirmed the arrests of Katie Pasitney and her mother, Karen Esperson, on Tuesday afternoon. The arrests occurred after the two had been staying overnight in the ostrich enclosure. Dave Bilinski, Esperson's partner, left the enclosure before the arrests to retrieve items from their trailer.
"The reason that I come out this way rather than get arrested in there is we needed a lot of stuff out of our trailer," said Dave Bilinski. "We needed to get this vehicle out, so the only way is if I come up peacefully, was that I got the truck out and all the stuff out, our trailer computers and stuff."
According to Clark, the day has been emotional, but there has been no violence. Pasitney and Esperson were seen at the farm on a live stream earlier in the day. Officials from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) arrived at the farm on Monday, accompanied by police. Dozens of protesters were present in support of the birds and the farm's owners.
Legal Battles and the Impending Cull
The Universal Ostrich Farm has been fighting the cull order in court, but has been unsuccessful so far. They lost bids to stop the cull in Federal Court and the Federal Court of Appeal. Last week, they were denied another stay of the cull order while they prepared to apply for leave to go to the Supreme Court of Canada. The deadline to apply is October 3rd.
"We've applied for a stay order, and applied to go to the Supreme Court," Bilinski stated. "But when we look at what's happened, as far as what's already happened with the justices, they have not, they still have not looked at any evidence that we've presented."
The farmers have repeatedly requested testing to determine the birds' health status. Pasitney posted a video on Facebook showing a CFIA official informing them that they could stay in the birds' pen overnight but warning of "consequences" if they did not leave voluntarily. Bilinski asserts that the ostriches have strong immune systems and are free of disease.
