Red Sea crisis strands thousands of Australian sheep, cows

The livestock -- reportedly more than 15,000 animals, mostly sheep -- have spent about four weeks aboard the MV Bahijah.

Sheep, lambs and cattle in a lush green grass paddock. Picture: iStock

Australian welfare groups are demanding the release of thousands of sheep and cattle stuck aboard a ship after their trip to the Middle East was diverted by Yemen’s Huthi rebel attacks in the Red Sea.

The livestock — reportedly more than 15,000 animals, mostly sheep — have spent about four weeks aboard the MV Bahijah since setting sail from Fremantle, Perth in Western Australia on January 5.

The ship abandoned its plan to voyage through the Red Sea because of the “worsening security situation” there and was directed to return to Australia, the Department of Agriculture said in a statement.

It docked back in Fremantle on Thursday after reaching the Western Australian coast earlier in the week.

Two veterinarians this week reported “no significant animal health or welfare issues” aboard the ship, the government department said.

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But the animals have been exposed to “cumulative stress” during their long trip, said RSPCA Australia chief science officer Suzanne Fowler.

She cited the movement of the ship, the risk of disease, and conditions aboard including the heat, with temperatures in Fremantle reaching about 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) on Thursday.

Sheep in particular would be standing in their own faeces because of the challenge of cleaning out their pens, Fowler told AFP on Friday.

“We would not support them being re-exported in any way,” she said, after the government said it was considering an application to do so by the exporter, identified in Australian media as Israeli-based Bassem Dabbah.

It is a “horrific, terrible plan”, Fowler said.

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“They have already suffered enough. It is not fair on the animals. They are sentient beings, they can suffer from pain and distress.”

The livestock should be taken off the ship assuming they do not pose a biosecurity risk, she said. “We would like a decision to be taken as soon as practically possible.”

Animal rights activists Peta Australia published an open letter to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday, saying it was “disgusted and ashamed” by the stranding of the livestock. It said there were 16,500 cows and sheep on the vessel.

Both the RSPCA and Peta Australia oppose live animal exports, a major industry with more than 670,000 cows and 590,000 sheep sent abroad by sea last year.

Australia’s centre-left Labor government has promised to phase out live exports without setting a date.

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