http://washingtontimes.com/upi-break...1305-2049r.htm

Australian sheep adrift on 'death ship'



MELBOURNE, Australia, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- A row is raging in Australia
over the fate of more than 50,000 unwanted sheep stranded in grueling
conditions aboard a ship in the Middle East.

An animal welfare group told the BBC the sheep should be put down,
claiming thousands have already died.

The sheep arrived in Saudi Arabia five weeks ago but were rejected
because the kingdom claimed 6 percent were diseased.

That's 1 percent more than the Saudi Government agreed to allow.

Hugh Wirth, Australian president of the Royal Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said 3,500 of the sheep have died
amid temperatures of 113-122 degrees Fahrenheit.

"It's a fairly hefty option to kill 57,000 sheep, but the fact of life
is, what alternative have we got?" Worth said in an interview with ABC
radio.

But the chief executive of Australia's Livestock Export Corporation,
Kevin Sheill, insisted the sheep were not in danger.

Negotiations were underway with another Middle East country to accept
the woolly cargo, Sheill said.


Australian sheep on 'death ship'


Australia earns about US$125m a year from live sheep exports
A row is raging in Australia over the fate of more than 50,000
unwanted sheep stranded in gruelling temperatures in the Middle East.
An animal welfare group said on Friday that the sheep should be put
down, amid claims that thousands of the animals had already died.

The sheep arrived in Saudi Arabia for import five weeks ago, but were
rejected because the kingdom claimed 6% of them were suffering from
scabby mouth disease.

This was 1% more than the Saudi Government agreed to allow.

According to Hugh Wirth, Australian president of the Royal Society for
the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 3,500 of the sheep have now
died.

He said the sheep were facing temperatures of 45-50 degrees centigrade
(113-122 degrees Fahrenheit) .

"It's a fairly hefty option to kill 57,000 sheep, but the fact of life
is, what alternative have we got?" he said in an interview with ABC
radio.

Australian Greens Senator Bob Brown agreed that the sheep should be
put down.

"It's just horrific that this ship has been turned into a death
ship,'' Senator Brown told reporters.

"There are hundreds of sheep dying every day and the rate will
increase."

'Premature' panic

But the chief executive of Australia's Livestock Export Corporation
insisted the sheep were not in particular danger.

"They are in good condition under the circumstances and for that
reason we feel it would be premature to put the sheep down,'' said
Kevin Sheill.

"We are certainly not at that stage, there is a vet and a stockman
with them with plenty of supplies, the ship is a bit like a floating
feedlot," he said.

Mr Sheill said negotiations were under way with another Middle East
country to accept the cargo