The car thermometer reads 37°C. It is early September and still incredibly hot in southern Spain. The Animals’ Angels team finds a shady spot at the port of Cádiz. They want to document the departure of the ferry to Gran Canaria. On the upper deck of the ferry stands a truck loaded with young cows from France. Exposed to the blazing sun – and that for hours already. Inside the vehicle, it must be as hot as inside a car. Thirty cows locked up in an aluminum box, standing in the sun. Finally, the ferry leaves; out on the open sea, temperatures will hopefully become a little more bearable for the animals. But since there isn’t enough room for all of them to lie down, they will constantly have to brace themselves against the ship’s movements in the rough Atlantic swell. For almost two days – an eternity when you cannot rest, drink enough, or eat properly.
Our team flies to Gran Canaria, as the cargo ferry to the Canary Islands does not take passengers. When the animals are unloaded on the island, they have spent at least 74 hours nonstop on the truck. They are visibly exhausted. Céline’s sunken eyes point to dehydration, while Livie stands with her head hanging low, breathing heavily. The bedding has turned into a mixture of feces and urine. Accordingly, the animals are filthy.
The import of cattle to the Canary Islands is subsidized by the state. For years, Animals’ Angels has been pointing out the animal welfare violations that are commonplace on this extremely long transport route. The Spanish authorities have somewhat tightened the rules and promised more inspections along the way. But in reality, nobody cares about how the animals fare during the journey or how long the transports actually take. The very fact that Canary Island farmers receive government subsidies to repeatedly buy young cows from mainland Europe instead of investing in building up their own herds is highly questionable. And to transport the animals in summer temperatures of over 30 degrees, accepting long waiting times on the truck – that is nothing short of animal cruelty.
We are talking to walls when it comes to transports to the Canary Islands. It seems clear: the welfare of the big landowners on the islands, who control vast estates, takes precedence. But we will not give up and will continue to expose the suffering of the animals.
