The BC RCMP has confirmed its officers were present Thursday during the long-anticipated cull of hundreds of ostriches on a farm in Edgewood.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said it would move forward to “complete depopulation and disposal” of the flock, fulfilling an order it issued more than 10 months ago in an avian flu outbreak that went on to kill 70 of the birds.
The owners of the farm fought the order, but on Thursday the Supreme Court of Canada declined to hear their final appeal, lifting a stay on the cull.
In an update Friday, Mounties confirmed the cull was complete and that officers helped close the road to the farm for public safety reasons.
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Later Friday morning, the CFIA confirmed the same. The agency said the premises are still quarantined under the Health of Animals Act.
A holding pen at the farm that was filled with ostriches on Thursday appears still and empty of live birds Friday.
Instead, the pen is filled with long blue tarpaulins covering objects on the ground that are also shrouded with black sheeting.
The scene comes after numerous gunshots were heard overnight from inside the pen made of a high wall of hay bales, where staff with the agency had herded scores of the ostriches a day earlier.
Bright floodlights and the bales obscured what was happening inside the enclosure after dark had fallen.
The CFIA says after consulting with experts, it “concluded that the most appropriate and humane option was to use professional marksmen in a controlled on-farm setting.”
By nightfall, two RCMP vehicles were blocking the road leading to the area where supporters had been gathering at the farm, with officers turning people away, but on Friday the road was clear.
“RCMP was responsible for the safety and security of the site throughout the exercise and did not otherwise take an active role in the cull,” said the police statement Friday.
The RCMP adds that the CFIA paused at one point to allow its officers to change shifts.
“With our oversight of safety protocols, no one was injured during the dynamic portion of the CFIA operation, and no arrests were made,” Mounties said.
“Now that the cull is complete, the RCMP will remain on site at the request of CFIA while the lead agency continues with disposal, and demobilization.”
A worker carrying a long bag had been seen entering the enclosure Thursday afternoon, where two tent-like structures had been set up.
The CFIA says the disposal stage started Friday.
The farm’s owners have said the cull was unnecessary because the flock was healthy and had “herd immunity,” making them valuable for scientific research, while requesting that the birds be tested for infection.
But the CFIA refused, saying ostriches that appear healthy can still be a potential source of the virus and allowing the flock to live increased the risk the virus would dangerously mutate, particularly if the birds were exposed to wildlife.
The CFIA says there were about 300 to 330 ostriches remaining on the farm before the cull began.
A lone RCMP officer was patrolling the field Friday morning and the scene was quiet except for the sound of generators powering CFIA and RCMP equipment around the enclosure.
Hours earlier, supporters of the farm who gathered at a highway overlooking the field had been screaming at the CFIA to stop the cull after the shooting began.
The agency reminded the public that it’s against the law to “obstruct or hinder an analyst, inspector or officer who is performing duties or functions,” and that the airspace above the farm has been restricted by Transport Canada.