TRANSPORTATION AND JOURNEY

Journeys of Awfulness

It is probable that sheep never enjoy being transported in a vehicle. The inside of a vehicle is not their natural habitat. And often they are crammed together. It will not be nice to have a lengthy journey. Journeys that are of very long duration, and that are, moreover, by ship and on sea, have potential - and likelihood - to be journeys of particular awfulness for sheep. Among risks for sheep of such journeys are overcrowding, temperature extremes, not enough food or water, stress, fear, injury, death.

Being exported from Australia to the Middle East is one very long sea journey which sheep are demanded to go on. On 1st May 2028 Australia is to ban live sheep exports by sea. On 5th March 2026, Animals Australia reported this on Facebook:

‘As conflict intensifies in the Middle East, Australia’s live export industry hasn’t ruled out sending sheep directly into harm’s way.

The critical shipping route into the Persian Gulf – the Strait of Hormuz – has reportedly been declared closed, with warnings that any vessel attempting to pass could be set “ablaze”.

Despite this, thousands of sheep are being held in a feedlot near Fremantle, awaiting loading onto a vessel bound for Kuwait, a voyage that would require passage through this increasingly dangerous maritime chokepoint.

So far, public comments from both the regulator and the industry provide no reassurance that animals won’t be sent into this escalating crisis.’

Animals Australia went on to say this in conclusion:

‘Live export is inherently cruel on any day but surely, we can all agree that at the very least, animals must never be shipped into a war zone.’

Extended stay on board a ship for sheep may be brought about from several causes. It can be come from a need to abandon a ship’s effort to reach a destination and so need for the ship to go back home. It can be delivered through a ship awaiting a waterway to become open and/or to be regarded as safe enough to journey on.

Of course, a long journey for sheep in a ship carries a particular risk for sheep, due to the slowness of ship-travel. From when a vessel departs its home port to when it arrives in the area of its destination can be plenty of time for the circumstance at that destination to have changed from that expected.

Live exports of sheep are dreadful experiences for sheep. If travel to or through areas of conflict is the insistence, the expectation will be an extreme awfulness of journey for the sheep.

19th March 2026