Spain | Live transport by sea | Day 2: Port of Cartagena
A dock worker with an orange west tries to capture a run-away sheep.
A dock worker (see person in the yellow west) is using an electric prod to drive the animals up the ramp during loading.
It is the second day of our investigation in the Spanish port of Cartagena. Together with our partner organisations Welfarm and Animals International, we want to monitor the loading process of European animals onto livestock vessels.
Today, only the vessels ETAB and SARAH M are being loaded with sheep, lambs, and bulls. The docking places of the two ships are about 200 meters apart. We observe that the responsible veterinarian is only temporarily at one of the two loading points. Therefore, it is impossible for the veterinarian to control two loadings simultaneously and check whether the animals are fit for transport.
We observe a dock worker who is trying to catch a run-away sheep. Escaping animals are always a sign that the loading process is not secured. If the animals escape from the loading ramp, they can be seriously injured.
On one transport we spot an injured bull from a distance. He cannot get on his feet anymore. We observe how dock workers are abusing the animal for over an hour with electric prods. They want to force the bull to stand up without being successful. We are immediately calling the police to report this animal cruelty.
Moreover, we can see how the workers repeatedly use electric prods to move the animals up the ramp to the ship entrance. No part of the body is spared. The electric shocks hit the animals without mercy on the head, body, and anus.
The loading process is completed at around 6 p.m. and all animals are now on the ETAB. At night, both vessels, ETAB and SARAH M, leave their docking places and start transporting the animals to their destination in Libya. Our teams will return tomorrow to monitor further loading processes. We will submit all documented animal welfare violations to the responsible authorities.
