“These vessels are not prepared to transport animals. And these animals have already been on this vessel for too many days,” veterinarian Maria Boada said about the nearly 2,900 cows trapped on the livestock ship Spiridon II off the coast of Turkey.
“I’m sure that if someone inspects them, they will see that they need to be euthanized immediately,” Boada from the Animal Welfare Foundation (AWF) told The Animal Reader about the serious animal welfare crisis unfolding on board.
The ship carrying the cows departed from Uruguay on September 21 and arrived in Turkey on October 22, having crossed the Atlantic Ocean with stops in Cabo Verde and Greece.
But Turkish officials refused to unload the animals due to mismatched documents. About 500 ear tags did not match the paperwork, making the shipment untraceable.
Spiridon II
Since then, the Spiridon II has been stuck at sea, with the animals still on board.
“These vessels are not prepared to transport animals for this long,” Boada said. “They were originally built for vehicles or cargo, not live animals. That causes problems with ventilation, heat, waste, and hygiene.”
She explained that the animals are forced to stand in their own manure, unable to sit or rest properly.
“The bedding cannot be removed, and the manure keeps building up. That creates serious health risks. Some of these animals are likely suffering from respiratory diseases,” she added.
Many of the cows appear to be from the dairy industry and could be pregnant heifers. Boada said it’s possible that some may have even given birth during the journey. The conditions are especially dangerous for weak or young animals who cannot easily access food or water.
“The densities on these ships are high,” she said. “That means weak animals suffer more. Some can’t reach the feeding systems. We already know that at least 49 animals have died.”
Footage from Turkish activists, working together with AWF, shows cows in poor condition and dead animals in plastic bags. Boada fears the number of deaths will continue to rise if nothing is done.
“It’s a domino effect,” she warned. “If one animal gets sick, others follow. Every minute that passes puts more animals at risk.”
Despite letters sent to the European Commission and Turkish authorities, there has been little official response. The ship was allowed to briefly return to port to take on food and water, but it remains offshore.
“We need to act fast,” Boada said. “If any vet were to inspect them now, they would see these animals need to be euthanized immediately. They’ve already suffered too much.”
From Turkey to Ukraine?
Campaign sources and local contacts say there are unconfirmed reports that some surviving animals might be sent north to Ukraine for slaughter, a voyage of roughly another week if it happens.
That plan, if true, alarms Boada: animals are already stressed, injured and exhausted after so long at sea, and another long trip would worsen their suffering.
Why do ships like this exist?
Live-export voyages from South America to Turkey and the wider Middle East increased after EU exports fell.
“Since around 2010, Uruguay has started to export live animals to Turkey. In the past, Europe was one of the main exporting countries to Turkey,” Boada explained.
“The trade is decreasing a bit from Europe. The problem is that now, animals are coming from countries like Uruguay in South America. Also, some animals are coming from Brazil and Colombia.”
Around 75 percent of animals leaving Uruguay go to Turkey. “So Turkey and Uruguay, they really have a big trade between them,” Boada said.
Transporting live animals by sea is cheaper for some traders. Live animals are easier to transport than frozen meat. To keep costs low, companies often use old, often unsafe vessels that have been refitted to carry animals.
Boada explained that livestock ships are one of the most unstable and high-risk ships in the world. The Spiridion II was banned for use in Europe and is now operating in South America.
These ships are not only unsafe for animals but also for humans. “Some of these crew members are in these vessels for several months without seeing any kind of possibility to go to land. They are trapped also in these kinds of vessels,” Boada said.
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: theanimalreader.com
