When the animal transport ship capsized, the crew were instructed to put on lifejackets. There were no lifejackets for the 6000 cows who drowned in agony.
REUTERS: A ship carrying 43 crew and nearly 6,000 cattle from New Zealand to China capsized after losing an engine in stormy weather in the East China Sea… the ship lost an engine before it was hit by a wave and capsized, a coastguard spokeswoman said. When the ship capsized, crew were instructed to put on lifejackets… Pictures provided by the coastguard showed a person in a lifejacket being hauled from choppy seas in darkness…
The Gulf Livestock 1 departed Napier in New Zealand on Aug. 14 with a cargo of 5,867 cattle bound for the Port of Jingtang in Tangshan, China. The journey was expected to take about 17 days, New Zealand’s foreign ministry told Reuters…
New Zealand animal rights organisation SAFE said the tragedy demonstrated the risks of the live animal export trade. “These cows should never have been at sea,” said campaigns manager Marianne Macdonald. “This is a real crisis, and our thoughts are with the families of the 43 crew who are missing with the ship. But questions remain, including why this trade is allowed to continue.”
Last year, New Zealand launched a review of its live export trade, worth around NZ$54 million ($37 million) in 2019, after thousands of animals being exported from New Zealand and Australia died in transit. New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) said it had temporarily suspended live cattle export applications after the Gulf Livestock 1 went missing. SOURCE…
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