Ship carrying 16,000 animals is abandoned off the coast of Australia after the threat of a Houthi attack

A ship carrying around 14,000 sheep and 2,000 cattle was abandoned off the coast of Australia in sweltering heat on Tuesday after being forced to abandon a voyage across the Red Sea, sparking protests from advocates concerned about the welfare of the animals. animals.

The ship left Australia on January 5 for Israel, where it was supposed to unload, but was diverted from its course due to the threat of attack by Yemen's Houthi militia, before being sent home by the Australian government.

The animals are now in limbo and could be unloaded in Australia, where biosecurity rules would require them to be quarantined, or sent back to sea for a month-long trip to Israel, bypassing Africa and avoiding the Red Sea, according to the authorities. industry authorities and government.

“These animals have already spent 24 days at sea, potential heat stress, poor ventilation, remaining in their own waste. They would be extremely stressed,” said Rebecca Tapp of Stop Live Exports.

“We would like to see them removed from the ship and processed here in WA [Austrália Ocidental]. Leaving them there any longer and certainly the idea of ​​sending them back to sea for 33 days is inhumane.”

“We have been asking the state government and the federal government what the plan is. It appears that at the moment there is no coherent plan.”

Agricultural groups and exporters claim that the animals on board the MV Bahijah are in good health, but with local temperatures approaching 40°C, an argument with which animal welfare advocates disagree.

The grounding is the latest impact of attacks on ships in the Red Sea, the main shipping route between Europe and Asia, which have disrupted global trade. It also underlines the risk to Australia's live animal export industry, which sends hundreds of thousands of animals to the Middle East every year.

(Produced by James Redmayne)