Very little is known about the transport and the transport conditions for the animals during this journey. Assuming that these horses and Angus bulls were loaded in Hereford (which the company's website suggests), the animals had to endure a 1,700 mile transport to Wilmington, DE. The chances that the animals made it to Wilmington in less than 28 hours as required by law are quite slim.

Once their arduous trip ended at the Port of Wilmington, the animals were loaded onto the massive livestock carrier Abou Karim III.

The ship can hold approx. 9,000 heads of cattle and is 123 meters long and 20 meters wide. Its sister ship, the Abou Karim IV (both operated by the Lebanese Khalifeh Shipping Line), is slightly smaller. Both used to be standard container ships but have since been converted to livestock vessels. 

The Abou Karim IV (credit: SeaNews Turkey)  click for news story

Both ships are en route between the US and Russia on a regular basis. Between January 2014 and September 2014 alone, 19,779 animals were shipped from the port of Wilmington. Public documents show that the July 16th. shipment left Wilmington and traveled straight to Baltiysk, Russia. It arrived on August 1st, 2014 after spending 15 long days at sea.  Taking into consideration the amount of water and food each animal needs per day, it is highly questionable that these ships can provide sufficient quantities for 2,523 animals.

Inside the ship is a bleak reality. Despite the ships' size, the room allocated for the horses and cattle is small. Horses and cows are squeezed together in holdings that are reminiscent of auction pens but with even less movement allowed. No natural light reaches most of these pens where the frightened animals will spend the next two weeks.

Should any of the animals become injured or need medical aid, there is rarely, if ever, a veterinarian on board. The horses and cattle are likely left to suffer with their ailments and injuries for days on end.

In December 2013 and then again in July 2014, several cow carcasses were found  on Danish, Swedish, and German shores. Their bellies had been cut open, their legs were tied, and their ear tags had been removed. The investigating agencies in these countries came to the conclusion that the animals had been dumped from these livestock vessels, further proof of the unlivable conditions these animals are subjected to on a regular basis. After losing their lives, they are dumped like trash into the Baltic Sea...but only after being mutilated in an attempt to keep their abusers from being identified.

(credit: Ein totes Kalb am Westrand von Prerow) click for news story

Vesseltracker reported that on the morning of July 31, 2014, when near Denmark, three Syrian crew members of the Abou Karim III jumped overboard. Two of the men reached the Danish coast where they were detained by police. The third man made it to Helsingborg, Sweden, and promptly disappeared. Either they were all planning to get asylum, or there was some trouble on board. While not necessarily pertaining to horses or cattle, this speaks to the morale among the crew, which is concerning to us given they are in charge of caring for thousands of living, sentient beings. If such dissent exists among the crew, what concern must they have, or rather not have, for their cargo?

Once the animals arrive at the port of destination in Russia, they "vanish." It is unknown to which facility they are transported and what exactly happens to them.     

Animals' Angels will continue to investigate to find out more details about this horrific trade and if there are more US companies providing live horses to the Russian Federation.   

What You Can Do

Getting this knowledge out to the public is a crucial part of bringing about the change we wish to see. But this is only part of the battle! We also need to band together to call for government intervention.

Please, contact your representatives and let them know that we will not stand by and watch our animals being shipped to countries where there are few, if any, animal welfare laws. Send an email or make a phone call to your local representatives denouncing the shipment of live animals overseas. It only takes a moment but the lives you will save are innumerable. 

As in the past, we at Animals' Angels know we can count on you to speak up for these poor creatures. They need you now more than ever!