AfricaAPN

Goats Being transported inhumanely.

The transportation of livestock is one of the most stressful aspects of an animals’ life. In Africa, the very sizes of the countries and, in some cases, the distance to an abattoir means livestock can be hauled long distances. However, the laws to govern transportation of livestock are neither effective nor enforced in this part of the world.
The laws should dictate time in travel and rest stops for feed and water. Effective laws should also expressly state that only fit, healthy animals are to be loaded onto specially designed vehicles, with trained drivers and animals handlers.
The laxity to implement even the ineffective laws has perfected cruel practices in livestock transportation.
Kenya case study
Most of Kenya’s livestock is found in pastoral communities in the North Rift and North Eastern regions of the country. The regions are approximately 600 and 1000 Kilometers respectively to the country’s Capital City of Nairobi.
Due to the rural-urban migration, population in urban centers especially in Nairobi has been surging thus the higher demand for meat products in these areas. Based on this, the country’s only meat industry is strategically located on the outskirts of Nairobi about 30 kilometers. As well the country’s three large scale abattoirs are located in the Capital city.

Sheep inhumanely tied to the back of a bicycle

All the livestock slaughtered at the Kenya Meat Commission and the three large scale abattoirs are sourced from the North Rift and North Eastern Regions. The cows, sheep and goats are hauled in Lorries and Pick-up vehicles and travel the hundreds of kilometers for several days without rest for feed and water.
Doing a survey on livestock transportation in East Africa (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania) in 2007, an Africa Network for Animal Welfare (ANAW) team witnessed startling cruel scenes. The traders and transporters are too cruel beyond belief when loading and offloading livestock. The animals are senselessly hit and manhandled during loading and offloading.
The animals are too congested with several getting to the abattoirs with broken body parts, too weak and some dead after being trampled on during the long bumpy ride. Ekwe Lipale, a pastoralist cum livestock trader in the North Rift region questioned by ANAW on the congestion of livestock in trucks explained: “the transportation cost is too high. We hire the Lorry at a cost of between 750 and 1000 USD. So unless we carry as many animals as possible, we end up shouldering the losses. We incur about 25-40 percent extra cost in transportation which must be recouped by carrying many animals or transferring the expense to our buyers which is normally the most risky business decision to make in our trade.”
This livestock transportation quagmire in Kenya and Africa at large has far reaching ramifications on the animal welfare and even livestock production sub sector. It is imperative for the people to develop that vital quality called empathy.

Close up showing how the sheep is suffering

Unless there’s attitude change towards animals, the continent stands to lose out on many opportunities. For instance the World Trade Organization has included animal welfare in its trading standards which every country must abide with if they’ve to participate in international trade. The modern society isn’t willing to feast on meat sourced through cruel slaughter and transportation, and/or eat chicken that was raised in a cage.