While we are waiting at a rest area in Spain, a truck carrying lambs drives past and stops nearby. At first glance, we can already see that some of them are sick. The driver tells us that the lambs still have another 200 km of transport ahead of them. Their destination is a holding facility, from which they are to be transported onward to Italy a few days later.
When we take a closer look at the transport, we find that the truck is clearly overloaded. The lambs are climbing over one another and have no possibility to lie down without being stepped on or trampled by other animals. One lamb is standing with its front legs on a partition wall, trying to eat straw hanging from the ceiling.
Another lamb is trying to suckle on the horn of a conspecific. It most likely had been drinking milk until recently and is now trying to satisfy its strong suckling instinct.
What worries us most, however, is the number of sick animals we see. Many appear completely exhausted, are coughing, and have inflamed eyes — a common symptom of acute respiratory disease. Some show skin lesions that are likely highly contagious and may also be transmissible to humans. Many lambs also have crusted noses, which can be attributed, among other things, to the poor air quality inside the vehicle. Maria, Lea, and Toni are sticking their noses out of the transporter in an attempt to breathe some fresher air from outside.
As if this were not bad enough, we see that many of the lambs are thirsty. They lick the metal bars of the transporter in the hope of finding a few drops of water or try to use the drinking system — without success, as it is designed for pigs and unsuitable for sheep.
It is heartbreaking to see how animals are repeatedly treated as mere “commodities” and how, even for a comparatively short transport, not even the most basic conditions are ensured. We do not dare to imagine how the long transport to Italy will further affect the lambs’ condition.
What remains are images we will not forget — and the certainty that these animals are at the mercy of human responsibility. We will not look away and will report these abuses to those responsible.
