Cattle Still Onboard ‘Stranded’ Livestock Ships After Two Months At Sea
More than 2,000 cows have been held in ‘hellish’ conditions after the boats were refused entry to dock, with many animals expected to be dying or already dead.
Credit: Handout via The Guardian
Thousands of cattle are living in ‘hellish’ conditions onboard two stranded livestock ships that have spent more than 60 days at sea.
The two vessels departed from Spain before Christmas last year to deliver the livestock. But on arrival, the ships were refused entry by various countries including Libya and Turkey, as they were both suspected of an outbreak of the bovine disease bluetongue, reports The Guardian.
One of the vessels, the Karim Allah, is carrying 895 calves, who are around seven to eight months old. The vessel is now currently anchored outside the Spanish port of Cartagena. The other ship, named Elbeik, is anchored in Turkish waters and is carrying 1,176 animals.
Spanish officials were able to board the Karim Allah for a welfare review and found the animals were “generally in a poor state” after suffering such a long, sustained journey at sea. At least 22 of the cattle had already died, with their bodies chopped up and thrown into the sea. The report’s verdict concluded that all of the cattle should be euthanized for their own welfare.
Now, the ship’s owners are cautious to board land as the cattle will likely be slaughtered, and if unable to find a buyer for the carcasses, could result in losses of over €1m.
“From what I understand, none of the diseases [noted in the report] are worth euthanizing the cattle for. They are normal after two months at seas and the animals could recover”, lawyer Miquel Masramón, who represents the ships’ management company, told The Guardian.
The Elbeik faces a similar predicament, with the animals who are still alive “suffering a real hell”, according to Silvia Barquero, the director of Animal Equality Spain.
Global calls for a ban on live exports have increased in urgency as more tragic incidents hit the industry. Last year, more than 40 crew members and around 6,000 cattle died after a huge live export ship sank in the East China Sea after departing from New Zealand.
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