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Rising insecurity in the Red Sea is having far-reaching consequences felt around the world—not just by humans. As a result of the escalating conflict primarily spurred by Houthi attacks on ships attempting to pass through the waterway, some 15,000 Australian sheep and other livestock have been stuck aboard one vessel for weeks. Their fate remains up in the air, neither allowed to reach their destination in the Middle East nor disembark back home due to biosecurity concerns.
Since Monday, the MV Bahijah has been anchored about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) off Fremantle port on Australia’s west coast, carrying a herd of cattle that’s causing a headache to both its exporter and local authorities and is now the subject of animal welfare concerns in the face of a looming heat wave.
The carrier, which set sail from Australia for Jordan on Jan. 5, was ordered by Australian authorities to turn back on Jan. 20. But upon its return, the cattle have not been allowed to be removed from the ship due to Australia’s strict biosecurity regulations, which ban livestock from rejoining their herd and require them to be slaughtered after disembarking to ensure they do not carry diseases onto shore. (Australia has so far managed to prevent the outbreak of diseases that have affected sheep and cattle globally, such as foot-and-mouth disease, scrapie, and sheep pox.)
The cattle’s Israeli-based exporter has applied to unload some of the livestock and re-export the remaining animals elsewhere, according to the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, which said that authorities are reviewing the application. The Western Australian Farmers Federation advocates that the sheep be re-exported through a safer shipping route, while the Australia branch of animal rights group the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is objecting to the plan, citing welfare concerns in letting the sheep spend even longer on the ship before they would reach their…
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