Heart 4 Animals

Every year, millions of animals are transported on long journeys that end in violent slaughter in a process called “live export.” Nearly 400,000 animals are exported hundreds of miles from Australia to Indonesia every year, and many more animals are shipped from Australia to countries throughout the Middle East and Asia. The animals are often jammed together onto extremely crowded multilevel ships, where there are so many animals and so few workers that sufficient husbandry and veterinary care are often denied. With often filthy conditions and temperatures that sometimes exceed 40°C , painful and debilitating diseases—such as salmonellosis (a type of gastroenteritis), pneumonia, and scabby mouth—frequently run rampant. Thousands of animals die during live export every year.

In many countries that import live animals, when animals reach their destination, they are often lined up to wait—sometimes longer than two days—to be unloaded. Many animals who cannot stand are beaten with metal bars and kicked by workers. If they cannot walk or crawl, they are often dragged off the ship by their ears and legs.

The next stop for the animals in most countries is the live-animal market. The animals are bought by small operators or people who slaughter animals at their homes. For transport, animals are often tied up in car trunks or on motorbikes or thrown on roof racks or in the backs of trucks. Already weak from harsh transport conditions, the animals can only watch helplessly as their shipmates are killed, and they fearfully await their fate.

At slaughter, the animals’ leg tendons are often cut, and their throats are cut while they are still conscious.

The only way to stop the atrocities of live-animal imports is to ban the trade.

> Please urge the Indonesian Minister of Agriculture to ban live-animal imports immediately .