| February
8, 2006
“GHOSTS
OF CONSCIENCE” WALK THE STREETS OF DEVONPORT IN SILENT CANDLELIT
VIGIL
With a live export shipment about to leave Devonport on the cruel “Al
Messilah”, eerie ghosts attired in black will walk the quiet waterfront
areas of the city in candlelit vigils on the 10th and 11th of February,
representing the restless ghosts of animals sent on live export voyages
from the port.
The tormented ghosts of the
millions of animals who have suffered and died so terribly in this trade
of animal misery and suffering have caused the black clad “ghosts
of conscience” to arise from their sleep. A “Grim Reaper”
personifies live export agents Roberts and the authorities whom AACT condemns
for allowing this shipment to proceed.
Suzanne Cass, Live Export Campaign
Co-ordinator for Against Animal Cruelty Tasmania said:
“The Al Messilah”
is here to take about 50,000 animals on a ‘voyage of the damned’,
to horrific suffering and death in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.
We have seen what happens to them on these horror ships and in importing
countries. The silent “ghosts of conscience” will walk the
streets at night while this ‘ship of death’ is preparing
to take these poor animals”.
The “Al Messilah”
is a 26 year old former car transporter, with one AQIS enquiry into
excessive mortalities behind it, and a number of detentions in Australian
ports for safety and other defects including inadequate certifications
of Master and officers and crews not in accordance with ‘safe
manning scales’. It is also noted in Hansard as a vessel of choice
for “human” deserters .
“So imagine what the
conditions for the animals are like”, Ms Cass continued. “And
less than two years ago, we saw on “Sixty Minutes” the atrocious
handling and slaughter practices faced by Australian (and other) animals
in Kuwait.
“Local processors have
made it very clear that there is a market for these animals here in
Tasmania, so there is absolutely no justification for this shipment
going ahead. We requested that the government investigate the commercial
behaviour of Roberts under the Federal and State Trade Practices Acts,
but have received absolutely no response – which is pretty much
what we expected.
“Meanwhile, while
this shipment is set to continue, the ‘ghosts of conscience’,
representing the millions of suffering animals, will be walking the
streets of Devonport in candlelight vigils to draw attention to the
plight of these animals”, Ms Cass concluded.
Digital and video footage will be available upon request.
For further information,
please contact Live Export Campaign Co-ordinator, Suzanne Cass, 0414 726935.
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