 The Livestock Express has become a floating coffin for thousands of sheep.
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Sept. 29, 2003 — The fate of the surviving animals from a shipment of more than 50,000 Australian sheep that have been stuck on a ship in the Middle East for over 50 days has finally been decided.
The sheep are to be delivered to Iraq, free of charge.
Iraq intends to slaughter the animals for use in its upcoming Muslim festival of Ramadan.
The stranded sheep, originally purchased by Saudi Arabia, were refused by the Saudi government for import when they arrived in the Middle East because six percent — one percent more than the government allows — were reportedly suffering from scabby mouth disease.
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After failing to find another buyer, the Saudi importer offered to give the sheep away to another country. In the meantime, the sheep remained trapped in pens onboard the ship in an increasingly dire state of heat, filth and dehydration.
The sheep cannot be returned to Australia because of quarantine rules, and the Australian exporters will have to cover the loss for $10 million.
The Australian Royal Society of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals welcomed the news of the deal with Iraq, saying more than 6,000 of the trapped sheep have already died, and more are dying daily.
The organization has been requesting for several weeks that those animals that are still alive should be euthanized to spare them the prospect of continued suffering in high temperatures ranging from 113°F to 122°F.
Authorities did caution that perhaps the sheep might not be suitable for human consumption at the festival.
"I would suggest that they wouldn't be all that tasty," Hugh Wirth, president of the Australian Royal Society of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said.
"They've been eight weeks in the boat come this Tuesday, they'll be standing in their excreta and urine and feces for that particular length of time," he pointed out.
Exporters of live sheep from Australia to Saudi Arabia make about $195 million a year, but the trade is often criticized for inhumane treatment of animals.
It is estimated that each year, approximately 78,000 sheep die on their way from Australia to slaughter in the Middle East.
Last year, tougher rules on shipments of livestock to Australia were imposed after 14,500 sheep died in just one month, from heat stress.
Scabby mouth disease is a viral infection common with live exports because of the close quarters on board ship. The infection is not fatal and usually heals after several weeks.
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