The ship was packed with sheep. Overpacked. The veterinarian saw another sheep go down and knew something had to be done. When the vet got the temperature of the dead animal, she saw it was 116.6 degrees Fahrenheit.
Image Credit: Lynn Simpson
If you are unsure about what that means – it was way too high. Sadly, animals die on a regular basis when they are transported on ships from one continent to another.
Image Credit: Lynn Simpson
The ships that leave Australia can be considered ‘floating ovens,’ and animals die from stress, sickness, and the heat.
Image Credit: Lynn Simpson
Sometimes, the animals will spend 10 to 12 days packed tightly together on ships.
Image Credit: Lynn Simpson
Some desperate animals try to escape and end up jumping overboard. These trips are called live export voyages.
Image Credit: Lynn Simpson
Veterinarian, Dr. Lynn Simpson, has been on 57 of these voyages. She once saw a mother cow miscarry during one of the trips. As you can imagine, the stress is too high, even for an animal to bear.
Image Credit: Lynn Simpson