RSPCA calls for stranded livestock off the WA coast to be released into Australia
The RSPCA is calling for thousands of livestock stranded on a vessel off the WA coast to be released in Australia. More than 15,000 sheep and cattle remain on board the MV Bahijah after the federal regulator ordered the ship to return to Australia three weeks ago due to security concerns in the Red Sea. The RSPCA’s Dr Suzanne Fowler says a decision needs to be made quickly about releasing the animals.
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00:00 The longer these animals are on the ship, the more they are suffering.
00:05 We know that from the government's own reports that are released from independent observers
00:11 that there is a high risk of disease on these ships, that sometimes the sheep don't adapt
00:15 well to the feed, they're standing in their own faeces, they're getting more stressed
00:19 and fatigued as the days go on, and with that brings a greater risk of disease.
00:23 So there is plenty of evidence, both from recent ship journeys as well as the published
00:30 science that these animals are suffering and that it's only going to get worse.
00:33 And we're calling on both the exporter and the Department of Agriculture to give us as
00:37 much information as possible.
00:39 At the moment there's been delays and reasons for delays such as biosecurity, but as far
00:45 as we understand those biosecurity concerns can be managed here on Australian shores and
00:50 we don't see any reason why these animals can't be offloaded and managed here in Australia.
00:55 The conflict in the Red Sea has been going on since October, November last year and in
01:00 December the RSPCA wrote to the exporters and asked that they proactively suspend shipments
01:05 to the Red Sea and they chose not to do so.
01:08 And so it really is at the fault of the exporters for continuing to prioritise these animals
01:12 as a commodity rather than as living, thinking, feeling beings and animals.
01:17 And so really the reason that we're at this situation now is because the exporters continue
01:22 to insist to send animals through that route, which has only brought us to the situation
01:27 that we're here at today.
01:28 [Silence]