228 sheep saved from sinking ship in Romania

Animal welfare organizations Four Paws and ARCA have been working non-stop to save the sheep that are still alive on the capsized cargo ship Queen Hind in Romania. So far, they’ve saved 228 sheep. They’re still looking for more survivors.

The ship capsized Sunday with 14.600 sheep on board. The Romanian government said after one day to not rescue the animals anymore. Animal welfare workers decided to enter the ship on their own.

Four Paws and ARCA worked tirelessly side by side Romanian firefighters to search for survivors: “The knowledge that there are still conscious animals onboard drives us back into the partially flooded corridors.”

Hear a ‘Baaa’
“Every time we have almost given up hope, the leg of a sheep suddenly twitches in front of us. From nowhere, we hear again and again a quiet ‘Baaa’, which steers us in the direction of a still breathing animal,” the organizations say on their Facebook page.

Horrible circumstances
The sheep that are still alive are found in awful conditions. They fell on top of each other, and some are hardly breathing. It’s hard for workers to get to the animals because it’s hard for hem to get to all the compartments of the ship.

The sheep that are saved are brought to a farm. After the rescue operation is finished, Four Paws and ARCA will decide what to do with the animals: “We maintain our promise that we’ll fight to ensure all these animals a bright and happy future, without further exploitation from humans.”

Romania keeps transporting animals under critical conditions
The sheep were being transported from Romania to Saudi Arabia. It’s the second time this year the Romanian government has been in the spotlight for exporting live sheep under critical conditions. The ship Queen Hind was outdated, not made for transporting animals, and had engine problems in December.

For more updates follow the Facebook pages of Fours Paws and ARCA Animal Rescue and Care.