Having spent a part of the summer in the antipodes I still keep a look out on the news in that part of the world. One story that I only seem to read about in the Australian press is the rather depressing story of the 50,000 sheep stranded on board a transport ship and currently docked in Kuwait. Having been rejected by the Saudis way back on 20 August, after the latter claimed that 6% of sheep had scabby mouth disease (a point disputed by the Australians), the sheep, and indeed the ship, have been pushed from pillar to port (sic). Some 20 countries have refused to take the sheep - one presumes they were offered them for free - and now there is a serious possiblity that they will come back to Australia which some experts believe could be the biggest quarantine threat to Australia in 200 years. Australia's former chief veterinary officer says:
"To have those sheep come back into an Australian point-port is absolutely dicing with death, because as soon as they get into a port, they're likely to be attacked by Australian insects which would then have the chance of transmitting really serious diseases to Australian livestock."
I'm not really an animal lover (too scared by half), but the treatment of these sheep is reaching scandalous proportions and I'm surprised the subject hasn't received greater coverage in the world media.
They're still there!? I read about this a week or more ago. It just breaks my heart that people can be so cruel.
Posted by: Lisa at October 4, 2003 07:04 PMThis story really has been running and running and running. You'd think they could have paid someone to take the sheep off the boat and their hands by now. In the long run it may well lead to the suspension of live animal traews.rt and a very good thing that would be too.
Posted by: Joe at October 4, 2003 10:41 PM