Thousands of cattle in mortal danger: ship stopped off Turkey!

Thousands of cattle in mortal danger: ship stopped off Turkey!

An extremely worrying incident is currently taking place in the Mediterranean. A ship loaded with thousands of cattle has stopped off the coast of Türkiye after a month-long journey across the Atlantic. The local authorities have not allowed the animals to go ashore for weeks, which has dramatically worsened the situation on board. Loud exxpress.at The cattle are knee-deep in their own excrement, and waste has not been removed since the start of the journey. In addition, basic veterinary care options are missing because there are no veterinarians on board.

The animal protection organization Animal Welfare Foundation warns that a return trip would be tantamount to a “death sentence” for the animals. Many of the animals have already suffered during the journey, with over 100 cattle reportedly already dead. The tragedy is compounded by the fact that more than half of the cattle are pregnant and some have already calved. The responsible authorities seem to be overwhelmed by the situation, which calls into question the humanity of animal transport.

The challenges of animal transport

Animal transport is a common and unfortunate phenomenon. Millions of animals, including pigs, cattle and sheep, are transported hundreds or even thousands of kilometers every day. Many of these animals are very young, often only weeks or months old, which increases their vulnerability. The transport conditions are extremely stressful, as is the case German Animal Welfare Association explained. Animals are often exposed to malnutrition, lack of space and suffer from extreme temperatures, causing great stress and anxiety.

The EU Regulation (EC) No. 1/2005 actually regulates the conditions for the transport of farm animals in order to protect their welfare. According to the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) These regulations include, among other things, requirements regarding the ability of animals to be transported, the nature of the means of transport and maximum transport times. In the event of non-compliance with this Regulation, there should be an exchange of information between EU Member States so that supervisory measures can be taken.

A call to action

The dramatic situation of current shipping shows that the regulations are often not enough to protect the animals. A lack of transparency and accountability leaves millions of animals suffering in catastrophic conditions. While the authorities are hesitant to respond, the question remains as to how many more animals will have to experience such a tragedy until fundamental conditions for animal transport change.

It is therefore vital that the public and organizations continue to put pressure on those responsible to ensure that the rights and welfare of animals are safeguarded.