Victory for NSPCA as Al Mawashi announces sheep export pause
The National Council of SPCAs has welcomed an announcement by Al Mawashi that it has not received an order from Kuwait to continue exporting live animals from South Africa, especially sheep.
The animals are currently transported by sea to the Middle East.
The NSPCA says Al Mawashi has blamed Transnet, the SA meat Industry, and the Department of agriculture for this.
However, the NSPCA says this is a victory for the animals.
"They said going forward they are choosing to export live animals from Australia, which is where they were coming from originally before Australia placed a ban on exporting live animals during a specific point in the year, so for now this means our animals are safe from being exported live by sea, which is incredible for us and the animals," said spokesperson, Keshvi Nair.
The animal welfare organisation says the animals are subjected to heat, which Nair has described as being cooked alive as she says the transportation is extremely hot.
"And apart from that they are also subjected to having to stand on their legs for days and the sheep who die, their bodies are just left there, and the other animals are forced to live among their carcasses; and another issue which is slightly out of our reach is that where the sheep are going, there are no laws to protect animals," added Nair.
The NSPCA will continue its court application this year, which seeks to ask the judiciary to ban the export of live animals to the north of the equator completely.
"Should we win this case, it would mean no animal will ever be subjected to suffering onboard any vessel going north of the equator which would be changing the history of South Africa and its animals," said Nair.
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