Tragic end for pregnant cattle at Turkish border
15.10.2024 I Turkey I Tragic end for pregnant cattle at Turkish border
After four weeks, the transport of 69 pregnant cows from Germany ended in a tragedy. Animals' Angels and our team are on the front line, unable to prevent this tragedy from unfolding. Nevertheless, we must document the suffering of these animals and ensure that their suffering does not go unnoticed and that those responsible are held to account.
Since mid-September 2024, the animals have been detained by the Turkish authorities at the Kapıkule border crossing, and conditions for the animals on the trucks have deteriorated with each passing day. The animals were standing and lying up to their knees in excrement and had to give birth to their calves under these conditions. These had no chance of survival and in the end 13 calves and 8 cows died in the two trucks. The survivors were eventually unloaded at a slaughterhouse in Edirne to be slaughtered the next day.
The bodies of the animals that had died before arriving at the abattoir remained on the lorry to be dumped later. However, one of the animals is still alive on arrival at the landfill and we can arrange for it to be emergency killed. We are grateful to Eyes on Animals for providing us with a captive bolt pistol to render the animal unconcious.
Since 2010, Animals' Angels and Animal Welfare Foundation have been documenting the animal welfare problems at the Turkish border and calling for an immediate end to the transport of animals to Turkey.