EDGEWOOD, British Columbia — A mother and daughter fighting to save their flock of 400 ostriches from a cull order celebrated after the Supreme Court of Canada granted a last-minute stay. The news came shortly after they and their supporters finished a tearful prayer at their farm. The crowd erupted in cheers, with many expressing gratitude for the outcome.

"They're safe today! They live today!" exclaimed Katie Pasitney, whose mother, Karen Espersen, co-owns the farm near Edgewood. "We have time," she added, embracing her mother. "Getting arrested was worth it."

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) had arrested Pasitney and Espersen on Tuesday after they refused to leave the ostriches' enclosure. They were later released but are prohibited from entering the birds' pen, which remains under the control of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

The CFIA ordered the cull last December after avian influenza was detected in the flock, leading to the deaths of nearly 70 birds. Officials attempted to carry out the cull on Monday, escorted by police.

On Wednesday, Pasitney received a call from their lawyer, Umar Sheikh, informing them of the interim stay. This stay halts the enforcement of the CFIA's "stamping-out policy" while the Supreme Court considers an application to appeal a lower court's decision that allowed the cull to proceed.

"God is good," Espersen and Pasitney said after receiving the news. Sheikh noted that the CFIA will maintain custody of the ostriches until a ruling is made. The agency has until October 3 to respond to the application, after which the farm will have two days to reply before the court makes a decision.

Espersen expressed mixed emotions, saying she felt numb but overjoyed. "I just want to run in and hug my birds, but I can't right now," she told reporters. "It's the power of prayer. This was too close."

Meanwhile, a wall of hay bales used to corral the flock was found charred by fire on Wednesday morning. Parts of the three-meter-high wall were still smoldering, and workers were seen spraying water on the affected areas. Ostriches were visible behind the burned wall, grazing as several RCMP vehicles remained stationed nearby.

Dave Bilinski, another co-owner of Universal Ostrich Farms, stated that the farmers would never start or condone a fire. The farm has garnered significant support on social media, with many supporters gathering at the property to back the owners in their fight against the cull.

In court, the farm's lawyer argued that the surviving birds are now healthy and scientifically valuable. However, both the Federal Court and the Federal Court of Appeal rejected these arguments, and the Appeal Court denied a stay of the cull order. The CFIA has maintained that the ostriches were infected with a more lethal strain of avian influenza, which poses a risk of reinfection even after individual birds recover.