More Than 40 People Feared Dead and Nearly 6,000 Cattle Drowned As Live Export Ship Capsizes
There are growing calls for a global ban on the live export trade as concerns for human safety and animal welfare mount, with New Zealand suspending their live export trade in wake of the latest tragic accident.
A general example of a live export ship that carries tens-of-thousands of live animals on voyages that can last weeks and weeks. Credit: Jo-Anne McArthur / Israel Against Live Shipments
A huge live export ship carrying more than 40 crew members and around 6,000 live cattle has sunk in the East China Sea.
The Gulf Livestock 1 was transporting thousands of live cattle from New Zealand over to China, when it met strong winds and heavy seas. After losing an engine, the ship hit a wave and capsized on Wednesday.
Miraculously, one of the crew members has been found alive, after he was discovered in choppy seas at night time and rescued by Japanese coastguards, reports Reuters.
The remaining crew of 42 people are now feared dead, as well as the 5,867 cattle.
With crew members including workers from the Philippines, Australia, and New Zealand, the tragic accident has sparked renewed calls around the world for a global ban on the live export trade.
“These cows should never have been at sea”, Marianne Macdonald, a campaign manager at New Zealand animal rights organization SAFE, told Reuters. “This is a real crisis, and our thoughts are with the families of the crew who are missing with the ship. But questions remain, including why this trade is allowed to continue.”
Already, New Zealand has initiated a temporary ban, with the country’s Ministry of Primary Industries stating that it has “temporarily suspended consideration of cattle livestock export applications after a vessel transporting stock from New Zealand to China went missing off the coast of Japan.”
Despite the awful conditions and long voyages that animals face on these huge, often filthy and dangerous ships, it is feared, even in light of this latest tragic accident, that the trade is worth too much money to be banned. A live export spokesperson has said that “since Covid lockdowns began, this trade has generated $100 million in foreign cash for New Zealand,” he said. Australia meanwhile made $580 million last year alone, by transporting around 2 million live cattle mostly to China and the Middle East.
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