The National Council of SPCAs has raised alarm bells following the discovery of an infectious disease outbreak at a feedlot housing livestock being loaded onto the Al Mawashi-ownedThe bulk livestock carrier docked in East London on Tuesday, 2 April, to load approximately 60 000 sheep, 1 500 cattle and 200 goats to be exported to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
‘After NSPCA national inspectors observed lesions on the lips of numerous sheep in the feedlot which raised suspicions of contagious ecthyma , the NSPCA resorted to laboratory testing which has confirmed the animals bound for theDuring the course of the disease, which lasts up to four weeks, affected animals can go off feed, lose condition and may develop serious secondary infections at the lesion sites.
‘Should this shipment be rejected by Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, the South African government has confirmed to the NSPCA that South Africa will not be able to accept the returning animals. The NSPCA is therefore concerned about the risk that these animals will be left stranded at sea.’, the animal organisation’s Jacques Peacock says there is no way of knowing how many animals may be infected – because they all appear healthy for now.