The ‘Al Shawaikh’ has now departed Kuwait City and is back at sea, heading for Hamad in Qatar. ETA is currently 3/8.
Day: August 1, 2019
We tried, and we believed until the last day that we would make it at least to a fair punishment.
When 70,000 beings are dragged to Kuwait for 18 days under murderous temperatures with minimal livelihoods, the question arises automatically:
who bears the responsibility for this crime? what could be a just punishment?
We accompanied this coffin from the satellite every day, and that gave us the feeling of being with the sufferer.
In their last, agonizing days.
We did not have the right to file a complaint against the Romanian Ministry or the transport company as it should.
We only do an investigative work on the rights of animals from this blog, we are not an association nor an organization.
This would be justified by other organizations or Eurogroups, who have very quickly lost the interest in this death procession of the 70,000 sheep to Kuwait.
We were the first to report on Romania’s violation oagains the EU Animal Transport Act.
And leave this vile battlefield last.
Sad as never before.
For two reasons.
Because we could not stop this death journey from the beginning, in the port of Midia.
This was the fate of animals already sealed.
And on the other hand, because we could not count on the help of any organization, Eurogroup or association; all these had given up these 70.000 beings, the case “Midia” made for the media and animal rights sides only on the first day a headline, for all others was the transport to Kuwait a hopeless case, just like any animal transport.
Nobody can imagine what the 70,000 sheep on a sea coffin under the Kuwaiti flag has suffered.
And while we believe that our day-to-day experiences of suffering animals harden us, in this particular case we reach the limit of emotional explosion, hate those who caused the tragedy, and those who ignored this tragedy .
At the latest since the case of “Midia” we know that the EU is not there for the animals, but for those who do business with animals.
But we have learned something else, too:
Those who fight alone in animal welfare, has no chance to achieve even minimal benefit for the animals.
The fight against corrupt politicians and the criminal animal industry is a collective struggle.
So we can call the tragedy of “Midia” a collective failure!
My best regards to all, Venus
Update 1/8/19 1120hrsGMT.
Kuwait city is +2 hrs AHEAD of UK GMT.
The current temperature in Kuwait City is 46 Degrees.
The Romanian sheep carrying vessel ‘Al Shuwaikh’ has now arrived at Kuwait city, putting into dock very near to the Ghazaki Road near to other vessels ‘APL Gulf Express’ and ‘Portland II’ .
Therefore it is clear that the vessel will dock today – 1/8/19; and not on the 3/8 as previously scheduled.
Further reading of interest:
https://www.animalsaustralia.org/features/kltt-not-so-different-from-emanuel-exports.php
The (Australian) Secretary has signed an Order prohibiting sheep exports from 1 June 2019 to 31 August 2019—the first ever prohibition on the export of sheep on animal welfare grounds.
So now it is ok to take EU sheep from Romania at this time ? – does the EU care ? – Read on:
Romanian authorities have flouted Commissioner Andriukaitis’ call on Thursday to the Romanian Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to stop the transport to Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE. In his plea, the Commissioner stressed the impossibility of complying with EU animal welfare legal provisions under the extreme temperatures on the route.
Sources at the Romanian port of Midia say that they are being prevented from approaching the vessel – the Al Shuwaikh, owned by the Kuwaiti company Livestock Transport & Trading (KLTT) – but that they can “hear the animals loud and clear”.
In 2018 animals on KLTT vessels were found baking in their own skins, gasping for air, smothered in faeces and unable to lie down to rest or even reach food or water. During such voyages, heat and humidity combinations reach levels that cause heat stroke, resulting in sheep literally cooking alive in the holds of vessels.
“Despite the intervention of Commissioner Andriukaitis, Petre Daea has turned a deaf ear to the fact that this shipment is likely to breach Art 3 of the EU Regulation (EC) 1/2005 stating that animals shall not be transported in a way likely to cause injury or undue suffering,” says Reineke Hameleers, Director of Eurogroup for Animals. “According to EU legislation on transport, if animal welfare cannot be guaranteed until the final destination, transportation should not take place. We need infringement proceedings right now.”
If they reach their destination alive, the animals will be slaughtered without stunning for the “Festival of Sacrifice” which takes place in August.
WAV Comment – we wait to see the harsh penalties that the EU is going to enforce on Romania for this farce – or will it be just a wrist slap ?
World Animals Voice 