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No solution in sight for sheep on ‘Ship of Death’

DUBAI - The impasse over the stranded 50,000 Australian sheep on board MV Cormo Express entered its 53rd day yesterday, after the vessel was turned away from its intended port in Saudi Arabia, followed by UAE and Pakistan.

Concerns over the health of the ship-load of sheep stranded on high seas were only adding to the difficulty in finding a port to drop anchor and offload the cargo. The stress and severe weather conditions have already killed 4,000 sheep.

Australia’s agriculture minister Warren Truss told AFP yesterday that the decision by the orginal purchaser Saudi Arabia to reject the sheep on the grounds that they were suffering from scabby mouth disease “obviously... causes concern for other countries.

“The Australian vet on board said they had exceptionally low levels of scabby mouth and as time has gone by even those clinical symptoms have disappeared,” Mr Truss told commercial television.

“But nonetheless, the fact that there were suggestions that the sheep might not be healthy is a concern to other countries,” he said.

Animal welfare groups in Australia and around the globe have urged the Australian government for a mass euthanasia programme to relieve these animals of further sufferings as no immediate solution to the stalemate is in sight.

Meanwhile, Pauline Vanderduim, Managing Director of Dubai Kennels and Cattery, an animal welfare group in Dubai, has also expressed the need for quick action by the Australian authorities to help find a disembarking port soon to end the sufferings of these stranded animals.

“How long should the authorities wait to offload these animals at a port willing to accept the consignment. It’s cruel to hear about thousands of sheep on board the vessel have already died and more will die, if they are not offloaded soon,” she told Khaleej Times.

She squarely blamed the vessel owners for not providing adequate space and ventilation on board the ship for transporting the animals.

“We too handle the transportation of big numbers of animals, but we make sure that each animal has ample space available to lie down, good ventilation facilities as well as enough feed and water is stocked on board for any emergency. After all, animals too, have feelings and should not be abused by livestock traders,”she said.

Ms Vanderdium does not believe in mass euthanasia of animals. But in this case, if it can reduce further sufferings of these animals, authorities should look at this option, she added.

The sheep aboard the Cormo Express had been rejected by Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Pakistan after Saudi authorities declared more than six per cent of the animals had the disease scabby mouth.

A sheepish Australian government is doing everything it can to find a taker for the cargo worth $680,000. “We’re putting a lot effort into assuring the people that the sheep are in good shape... We’ve had an international vet from the OIE, which is essentially the World Health Organisation for animals, attest to their good health,” said Mr Truss yesterday.

LiveCorp officials, working jointly with other local authorities in Australia to secure an alternative destination for the stranded sheep, were not available for comment.