Hidden mass exports of live animals from Spanish Port City to the Middle East
The Spanish town of Cartagena harbors a hidden secret: the export of millions of sheep and cattle to the Middle East. Despite being home to 213,000 residents and a popular destination for visitors, Cartagena conceals a massive, contentious trade in live animals.
Animals are transported from farms across Spain to these ports, where they are loaded onto ships away from public view. Activists, using superzoom lenses, have documented poor truck conditions, and cruel handling during loading.
“Most people wouldn’t even understand why we are putting a goat, a sheep, a pig, or cattle on a long transport. It just doesn’t make sense. It's unnecessary cruelty, which will sooner or later be the end of this industry,” Gabriel Paun, director of Animals International, told The Guardian.
While veterinary checks are mandated before animals board ships, enforcement is often lax. The truth can be easily concealed, prompting animal rights activists to push for an EU ban on the live animal trade. Despite some political support, a ban in Spain appears unlikely.
The cruelty animals endure begins at birth and continues until death. Transporting live animals to slaughter is one of the most egregious practices.
Annually, billions of animals endure unsanitary, overcrowded conditions on vessels for journeys lasting from days to months. They frequently suffer from inadequate food, water, and protection from extreme weather, leading to high mortality rates. Incidents of overturned trucks, sunken ships, disease outbreaks, and deaths from heat stress are all too common.
Animals on these voyages are treated as mere commodities, facing inhumane conditions and trauma. This exploitation and cruelty must end.
Cattle on board a livestock ship after leaving the port of Cartagena in Spain. Photograph: Tallia Shipping Line /Reuters