Nicole Nadler reports on the developing story following over 2,500 cattle that are currently stuck at sea.
Photo by Ralph (Ravi) Kayden
In December 2020, two livestock ships, Karim Allah and Elbeik, left Spain with a combined total of 2,671 cattle on board. Originally, they were intended for Turkey, but there was a suspected outbreak of a bovine disease called Bluetongue onboard (a noncontagious, insect-borne viral disease which affects mammals but not humans), so the ships were refused entry.
Since then, Elbeik is still at sea, while Spain’s High Court of Justice of Madrid has ruled that the inhabitants of Karim Allah will be destroyed despite activists’ efforts to gain a suspension of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food’s slaughter order.
December 2020 On 18 December, Elbeik departed from Tarragona in Spain, and Karim Allah from Cartagena. Both ships were headed for Turkey, with Elbeik arriving in Derince in Turkey on 29th December, and Karim Allah arrived in İskenderun on 27th December. However, upon arrival, both ships were blocked from docking by Turkish authorities who had suspended any live imports from Spain. Despite the fact that the Spanish government has stated that the cattle left Spain with clean veterinarian certificates, the Turkish government made the call after an outbreak of the insect-borne bluetongue disease was found in Huesca, a Spanish province.
January 2021 On 1 January, both ships departed from Turkey, headed for Tripoli in Libya, with Karim Allah arriving on 6th January and Elbeik on 25th January. Again, both ships were turned away within a few days by Libyan authorities. Then, going their separate ways, Karim Allah reached the Italian port of Augusta on 27th January and was again turned away after 48 hours.
February 2021 On 1st February, Elbiek arrived in Alexandria, Egypt, but left only three days later, heading to the coast of Northern Cyprus and arriving on 19th February. On that same day, Karim Allah arrived near Cagliari, Sardinia and a few days later returned to its original port at Cartagena.
March 2021 On 5 March, it was reported that the 864 surviving animals out of the original 895 who were onboard of the Karim Allah will be slaughtered at the Port of Escombreras in Cartagena.
The most recent reports from 9th March stated that Elbeik was still drifting through the Mediterranean Sea. Due to poor conditions compounded by the long journey and the fact that the ship is full of animals, leaving very little room for movement, over 50 cattle have already died. Recently, the ship docked in Crete to acquire supplies for the animals, but for now, it is waiting to hear from local authorities as to what will happen with the animals.
So, Who is Responsible?
It seems that no one wants to claim ownership of the situation. According to a spokesperson for Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, “[it has] nothing to do with the actions of the Spanish administration”. The exporter for Karim Allah also eschews responsibility and Libya claims the same, saying it was not responsible as the cattle did not alight in the country.
“It is imperative that the Spanish Government investigate who is ultimately responsible for this tragedy and hold them to account. My heart breaks for all those animals who have already died and for those who remain trapped on these ships. To ensure animals no longer needlessly suffer on these unregulated journeys, the export of live animals must be immediately banned.” - Sharon Núñez, President of Animal Equality
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