While most of us can only imagine the smell of a ship with 19,000 confined animals forced to live in their own waste for a fortnight, it’s impossible to comprehend what it is like for the animals existing in these conditions.
Their plight was revealed through images and footage captured by inspectors with the South African National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) who boarded the Al Kuwait when it was docked in Cape Town last year.
Content warning: The video contains images viewers may find very distressing.
Securing a warrant to board the live export ship, the NSPCA brought us face-to-face with some of the animals. Animals Australia helped highlight the suffering of these animals by sharing the video footage on their website. We share it here now to remind South Africans that this is a reality that continues. The ‘big stink’ that Cape Town experienced last year was not a once off, but a continuing practice of suffering and cruelty that our government is failing to stop.
As Animals Australia says on its website, risky live export voyages are not rare. What is rare is the opportunity to see the reality for the animals during the journey. The vast majority of animals exported endure gruelling shipments without ever being seen by someone outside of this well-hidden industry. But every time we do manage to get a glimpse on board, the conditions are nothing short of appalling.
Every animal subjected to a journey by sea is knowingly put at risk of enduring – and succumbing to – conditions such as these. But the suffering of animals is ‘business as usual’ for live exporters.
Speak out & help end the cruelty
We call on the South African public to urgently respond to the newly proposed live animal export regulations announced by the Department of Agriculture (DoA) by 25 August.
These draft regulations pave the way for the continuation of the live export of animals by sea — a practice SLESA condemns as unjust, inhumane and economically misleading.
Note: The deadline for submissions is 12pm on 25 August 2025.
| WHAT YOU CAN DO | HOW TO DO IT |
| 1. Submit comments on the draft regulations before 25 August 2025 | This post has a copy of the regulations, the email address to use for comment, as well as a comments template that you can use or adapt. |
| 2. Vote for a ban on the DearSA platform | Access the campaign here. |
| 3. Share our social media posts | Follow SLESA on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, if you don’t already, and share our posts with your followers. |
| 4. Share steps 1 – 3 with your networks | Copy steps 1 – 3 and share with your networks via WhatsApp or email |
Stay informed
- Sign the Petition to ban live export by sea
- Facebook: Stop Live Export SA
- Instagram: @stoplxsa
- Website: stopliveexport.co.za
- Subscribe to the Stop Live Export SA newsletter
