191 sheep died in the long, long journey from New Zealand to Mexico. But a spokesperson for livestock importer Nada thinks that is an acceptable loss.
This sheep shipment attracted the attention of animal rights activists partly because of the huge numbers of livestock being transported at one time. That one shipment relocated 45,110 head of livestock altogether. 136 sheep died in transit, and the remainder of those lost died shortly after docking. This, of course, suggests how grueling the trip must have been. Sheep arrived exhausted and dehydrated.
Unfortunately, mass exports of sheep are business as usual in Australia, so more sheep deaths are inevitable unless the government takes steps to better regulate the trade. Tell the Parliament of Australia to declare a moratorium on live sheep exports until an investigation has been conducted and regulations have been strengthened.
Dear Members of Australia's Parliament and Ministry of Primary Industries, New Zealand:
We the undersigned are dismayed, to say the least, to learn of the mass shipment of sheep from Australia to Mexico that resulted in so many sheep deaths. We understand that the exporter considers almost two hundred deaths acceptable. We have a different point of view. Sheep are sentient beings who experience pain and fear, and a long ship ride will have been painful and scary. Furthermore, it is clear, from the number of sheep who died shortly after arrival, that they were not adequately cared for in transit. They appear to have arrived exhausted and dehydrated, clearly too weak to survive. We ask that you declare a moratorium on sheep exports from Australia and that you conduct an investigation into this recent export and others that have reported a high mortality of livestock.
