THIS MUST END: WHY IS THE AUSTRALIAN VETERINARIAN ASSOCIATION NOT BEING A VOICE FOR AUSTRALIAN ANIMALS DESTINED FOR THIS FATE

Each year thousands of Australian sheep die on board live export ships — many from heat stress. This suffering is accepted by the industry as a cost of doing business.

Death by heat stress is a constant risk to animals on live export ships, and it surges during June to September, as they're sent from a freezing Australian winter into intense heat.

Crammed in tightly with other animals, and if weather conditions do become extreme, the temperature and humidity soar to unbearable levels. The air will thicken with ammonia rising from the urine and faeces surrounding their feet ... and as the metal bars enclosing the pen start to radiate heat.

Eventually the stronger animals, desperate for cooler air, will climb on top of the weaker — searching for any scrap of a breeze. Those shoved down are crushed, often suffocating under the weight. Others, panting and foaming at the mouth, crowd around limited air vents and strain their necks through barriers to the rancid air of the corridors.

When respiratory distress sets in, they can take up to 300 breaths every minute. This severe overheating is so common the industry even has a term for it — ‘tonguing’ — where animals are gasping for air, mouths wide open and tongues hanging out.
COURTESY OF ANIMALS AUSTRALIA:
http://www.animalsaustralia.org/features/live-export-ships-huge-floating-ovens.php