Around 16,000 Australian sheep and cattle have been stuck on a cargo ship for almost a month—and despite the concerns of animal welfare advocates, their ordeal appears to be far from over. The animals, 14,000 sheep and 2,000 cattle, are on board the MV Bahijah, which set off from the port of Fremantle in Western Australia on Jan. 5 bound for Israel; it returned to the port on Thursday, the BBC reports. The Australian government ordered the vessel to return to port on Jan. 20 amid concerns about attacks on ships in the Red Sea. It was held off the coast for days during a heatwave. The animals were not permitted to disembark after it docked in Fremantle on Thursday.
Officials say they are still reviewing an application from the exporter to unload some animals and bring the others to Israel via a different route, avoiding the Red Sea, that would take 33 days. Advocates have strongly criticized the government's handling of the issue. "Leaving sheep and cattle on the MV Bahijah in the scorching summer heat is animal torture," said Sen. Mehreen Faruqi, deputy leader of the Greens party, per Reuters. "The government already made one gross error by approving this trip through a conflict zone," she said. "Sending them back out on another long journey is absolutely unacceptable."
Australia's agriculture ministry said independent veterinarians boarded the ship on Thursday and didn't detect any signs of illness or "significant" welfare concerns, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports. The ministry said the ship is "being replenished with supplies to ensure the ongoing health and welfare of the livestock is upheld." Australia exports around a million live sheep and cattle every year, though the exports have been described as an "animal welfare disaster." (More animal welfare stories.)
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