Almost 900 cows that have been on a ship for two months are set to be killed. The 895 cattle left from Cartagena port in December on the Karim Allah destined for export to Turkey. Turkish port authorities would not allow the animals to be unloaded, reportedly due to concerns over the animals’ health. After the ship has been travelling around the Mediterranean Sea for two months, the 895 animals will now have to be sacrificed after vets have deemed them no longer fit for export or travel.
After a second failed attempt to unload the cattle in Libya, the boat returned to Cartagena, where Spanish authorities ordered it to dock on Thursday.
The vessel, and the cattle, were subject to an official government inspection when the ship redocked in Cartagena last week. Spain’s minister of agriculture confirmed that animals were to be put down after state veterinarians judged them to be both unfit either for transport to another country of for their return to Spain.
The ministry also confirmed that the cattle originally left Spain with all the relevant health authorizations in place.
A number of animal rights groups have spoken out against the slaughter of the livestock.
“This is yet another wake-up call to urgently end live export,” the Eurogroup for Animals said.