By Kouthar Sambo
The National Council of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) expressed its condemnation against the live export of animals by sea.
This comes after a live export vessel, identified as Al Kuwait, docked at Cape Town Harbour.
The horrific discovery
The NSPCA, alongside the representatives of the Cape of Good Hope SPCA, have been inspecting the board of the Al Kuwait ship that carries a live cattle export vessel currently docked at Cape Town Harbour.
Speaking on VOC’s Drive Time on Monday, NSPCA Senior Inspector Grace de Lange said the Al Kuwait ship docked late on Sunday night just after 10 pm.
“We went on board with our veterinarian, but it’s been an ongoing, thorough investigation leading into the next day. We are not 100% happy with what is happening on board. Everybody in Cape Town is worried about the smell, but how do the animals feel on board lying in their own feces?” posed de Lange.
She added that under the guidance of a veterinarian, the NSPCA team had to euthanase three cattle while finding the other two cattle dead.
Opening a new can of worms
Meanwhile, the coalition to stop animal export staged a protest on Monday in response to the docking of the Al-Kuwait ship and the poor conditions under which the animals were exported.
According to animal activists, the protest aimed to raise awareness about the inhumane conditions the animals are enduring onboard the vessel.
Speaking on VOC’s Breakfast show today, South Africa’s spokesperson for the Coalition To Stop Live Animal Export, Kim Stephens, said there have been ongoing court engagements with authorities.
“What we’ve learned from this situation is that the global live export trade is being built on the acceptance of sending animals on risky journeys around the world only for the survivors to be killed for their meat when they arrive in their destination country,” expressed Stephens.
“As much as I am agonizing over the 19000 cattle sitting in our harbour, I am also grateful that this has been discovered, so we can open the door to have these conversations and find alternatives to do better for these animals,” declared Stephens.
The animals suffered skin burns from the build-up of ammonia and eye health issues, explained Stephens, and there is insufficient medication on board to treat the concerns. Stephens also highlighted a lack of veterinary care, leaving the animals vulnerable to multiple infections, in addition to chronic stress, trauma, and suffering.
There are also unknown weather conditions at sea, said Stephens, which “terrifies them” inflicting physical and emotional harm.
The resolution
The coalition’s ultimate goal, echoed by the NSPCA, is for the practice of exporting live animals to be banned.
“Farming and slaughter should happen in the country of origin, which reduces trauma to animals and enables local farming to put more stringent anti-cruelty control measures into place. I think we have more of an economic objective in play other than one based on ethics or religious practice,” reiterated Stephens.
Stephens also cited the chronic shortage of meat in the Middle East due to climate change, which is no longer conducive to red meat farming. She added that South Africa should recognize this as an economic opportunity that “should be handled ethically.”
“One of the financially viable suggestions is to open an entirely Halaal-compliant slaughterhouse in East London,” advised Stephens.
“Why should we not agree with the shipping company that we supply to them, boost job creation in South Africa, and export caucus meat at a fraction of a cost to the Middle East,” proposed Stephens.
Photo: Cape of Good Hope SPCA/Facebook
